


Damage Control

by vxllanelle1



Category: Killing Eve (TV 2018)
Genre: And how they could make it work, Because we can't leave it at that, F/F, Fix-It, How season 3 could go, If you've been hurt by the finale or the interviews that have come out please read this, My first fix-it fic, Not your typical 'they'll hate each other then love each other', Post 2x08, Spoilers, Ties very heavily into canon (in a good way) and makes it work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2020-03-17 12:00:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 32,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18964810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vxllanelle1/pseuds/vxllanelle1
Summary: There's something beautiful and tragic in the fallout.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have not been able to stop thinking about writing this all day. I know it's going to get disproven in a year when the new series comes out, but I've poured my heart and soul into planning this out.
> 
> It breaks my heart seeing so many of my friends/Killing Eve family disheartened by the season 2 finale. Here's my take on where it could (but probably won't) go in season 3 that's not too damaging.
> 
> This is my first fully planned out fic, I've tried incredibly hard to get everything to tie in together and it's gonna span many chapters, so please keep coming back for more!
> 
> Any questions/prompts etc can be sent to my curiouscat or you can follow me on twitter vxllanelle1 for both
> 
> I hope you enjoy

A shot rang through the ruins.

She was on the ground.

Eve supposed she was undertaking some form of damage control by walking away. Supposed it would de-escalate the situation, it would leave it open to be revisited once their minds were steady and their emotions more balanced.

But then the gunshot came.

Eve was familiar with the sensation of air filling her lungs when she took a breath. But, she’d never felt air anywhere else inside her body. She felt an absence of her own body. It was new and it was terrifying.

She collapsed to the ground and fought her natural instinct to cry out in agony. Her body was roaring in pain and, as such, was pleading for Eve to call out for help to cease the throbbing radiating though her being.

But she didn’t.

She didn’t take note of Hugo often, but now she realised it might be in her interest to change that. If he was even still alive.

She wrestled with her instincts and opted for the hero’s technique, as he termed it.

Eve’s existence didn’t make sense. Her head was trying to battle the immense physical pain coursing through her body, the terror of what Villanelle might do to her, the pressure to stay still enough to avoid spoiling the façade.

Her helpless body began breaking apart as the blood dripped from her abdomen and pooled below her stomach.

Her muscles were tense, building up the stress of not being able to call for help or relieve the pain.

It felt like a true eternity. Though, she was well aware mere minutes had passed.

A few more moments and she mustered the nerve to crack her eye open the slightest amount she could manage.

The woman in red was now far in the distance, almost hidden from view, away from the destruction that lay in her footsteps. The life she had once so deeply cared for now in tatters, with the blood resting on her hands.

Eve asked herself why.

A shuddery breath escaped Eve’s lips. Her eyes screwing closed again. Her body contracted at the current of pain that washed through her.

She kept still as possible for a little longer. The woman had a tendency to return to the scene of the crime.

Somewhere between the screeching pain and the gnawing pressure to keep stagnant, Eve questioned how she could fall for her manipulation.

How could she be so stupid? She knew what she was dealing with. How could she let her emotions blindside her into trusting that this woman could care for her in any normal capacity?

She wanted to own her.

Eve was nothing more than a ‘thing’ to her.

And now she had loved her to death.

Tears ran down her cheeks.

It had been perhaps ten minutes, maybe less, before Eve made any attempt to move.

Her efforts to push herself up were met with sharp stings to her abdomen, causing her arms to give out below her. All accompanied by some uneasy light-headedness, undoubtedly due to the blood loss.

She called out. Her destitute cries went unanswered.

Her spirit was low. Maybe she should just drift away?

Maybe someone would find her eventually, when it was too late, and return her body. Give her friends and family some peace.

She took a breath and tried again for one last cry out. Her head dropped with a thud as her energy depleted further.

Her eyes slipped closed.

Nullity. Nothingness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra note: The description of how it feels to be shot came from this hauntingly beautiful video of a mass shooting survivor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDI-kSTMWiQ&t=193s


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and nudes can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both

She woke up. Why did she have to wake up?

The blaring hospital lights made Eve wince.

The clattering of medical equipment and persistent beeps of the dull machinery overwhelmed her ears.

Where even was she?

Eve sighed, a wave of melancholy overcome her. Why didn’t the world just let her go?

Sitting up on the bed, she glanced around, attempting to ignore the tugging pain at her abdomen as she moved. Signs on the walls, the words easily recognisable as Italian.

Her eyes followed a couple as they entered the ward, staying true to the figures and clearly making them uncomfortable as she observed them sit by a bed at the end of the ward.

It had hit her; she hadn’t a soul to go back to. Niko wanted nothing to do with her, she didn’t have her colleagues, and she pushed Kenny away.

She had no job, no house, and no hope. She sacrificed it all to chase a fantasy with Villanelle, and look where it landed her?

Eve’s attention was only drawn away when a doctor strolled up to her bedside, beginning to recite off something in Italian.

If she listened hard enough, she would have been able to collect a vague understanding of what he was telling her. But, she didn’t want to.

“Nehbyuluh-duseyo,” was all she gave him, feigning ignorance as he tried again in partially broken English. If it worked once with Peel’s security, it could work again.

***

“So, where are you staying?”

The voice, which came from a figure she once commended and admired to the highest honour, now grated against her eardrum in every way imaginable.

The overtly pleasant tone paired up with the perpetual smarmy expression across her face made Eve exceedingly frustrated. She was acting as if Eve’s life hadn’t completely crumbled and it was just business as usual.

It made Eve want to lash out, a stark contrast considering all she had originally wanted to do was please her superior.

“I have relatives living in Islington who’re letting me stay with them until I can find another job.” Eve told Carolyn, no attempt made to hide her displeasure at the situation. Though, she was well aware Carolyn could read anyone like a book. She hardly had to explain her current emotional state.

Carolyn nodded at the answer, eyes leering over Eve as she examined the woman packing away her desk. Like a teacher monitoring a disruptive student. “And how are your injuries? What did the doctors say?”

Don’t act like you care, Carolyn.

“They’re fine. As for what the doctor said, I don’t really know. It was two weeks of Italian and broken English before they just let me go.”

Another nod, almost like a stock answer at this point.

“How’s Hugo?” Eve asked, still plagued with guilt in the back of her mind. God, she’d been such an ass to him.

“Expected to make a full recovery.” A sense of relief came over Eve. “I’ve assigned him to the tech department for now so he doesn’t over-exert himself. He just sits fiddling with wires and switches all day.”

Eve forced a weak smile. “That’s good to hear.”

Carolyn gave the same banal response, nodding to Eve as she began to turn away from her desk. “Yes, quite. You’re welcome to go down before you leave and say your goodbyes. Or apologies. I doubt he’ll be too busy.”

Eve watched as Carolyn swanned out of the room. She envied how nonchalant her demeanour was, but that was mostly due to the fact that her life wasn’t falling apart. She ached for that tedious security she had once had about her life.

***

A knock at the door. No response.

Always a good sign.

A huff escaped Eve’s lips as she pressed at the door handle to grant herself entry.

The room, though cluttered with endless wires, cables, and various pieces of tech used for god knows what, was bare of any life. Unless they'd cracked putting human consciousness into a computer, but probably not.

Eve took a moment to inspect her surroundings, appreciating the nuances of the building that she would almost certainly never be allowed access to again. She’d miss it.

A set up in the corner caught her attention. She recognised it.

A couple of steps closer confirmed her suspicions, it was the tech they had used in Rome.

Eve sighed as her eyes kept trained on the equipment, almost like it would hurt her the second she turned her back to it. She sat down in the chair adjacent to the table the machinery was resting on.

At that point, she was trying to pinpoint where it all went wrong. Which specific moment she could have changed to stop her life dwindling away.

She knew, most likely, it was the start. She shouldn’t have stepped foot into this world she didn’t know how to handle. She should have stayed in her soul destroying job, playing bridge with Niko in a semi-fulfilling marriage with half-decent friends. She shouldn’t have rocked the boat.

Her wallowing was abruptly ended when Eve heard a noise, dissimilar to the typical soft whirs and buzzes of MI6 technology. It sounded like muted speech, not loud enough to be intelligible, but loud enough to detect that it followed the patterns of human speech.

Eve glanced cautiously, but there was no one around. She began to rethink she assumption that MI6 hadn't cracked putting human consciousness into a computer.

She checked her phone, it wasn’t playing anything. She peered through the narrow windows above where she was sat, the halls were bare.

Eve sat back in her chair, attempting to bring her guard down and put herself back at ease. Since Rome, she’d found it wasn’t difficult to get her riled up. Not that you could blame her. She had been shot.

The noise came and went. Eve began to just put it down to hysteria, until her eyes found a small piece of equipment on the side. It was the ear piece.

Eve felt her heart stop and her blood run cold. She felt genuine fear strike her heart, like the woman was stood right there.

For a few moments, she just stared. Stared it down. Almost like she could intimidate this inanimate object out of scaring her.

It didn't work. She was still petrified, however her curiosity had begun getting the better of her again.

That's where it all went wrong. She couldn't leave anything unanswered.

Eve took a breath to steady herself, trying to mentally prepare herself in any way possible for what she knew she could, and most likely would, experience.

She picked it up with delicate fingers before lodging it into her ear.

Silence for a few moments before she was greeted to the familiar Russian accent.

It hit her.

Villanelle had never removed her microphone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Korean translation: Please go away (mood)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
>  Follows, tweets, and marriage proposals can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both

The shock kept coming in waves. Just as her brain began to rationalise, she’d hear the idle Russian dialogue between Villanelle and another party in her ear, causing it to begin to spiral again.

Did she forget about it? She couldn’t have, definitely not for almost three weeks.

Did she want someone to listen? Did she want Eve to listen?

Was she working for MI6? Did MI6 task her with killing Eve?

The paranoia was overwhelming her. She needed to take the earpiece out for her own santiy, placing it tentatively on the side as she struggled to ponder over the situation.

This was the first time Eve was genuinely clueless at how she was feeling. She felt like her world was falling apart all over again.

She hated Villanelle. She hated how much power the woman had over her. She hated how Villanelle could make her feel.

She hated how Villanelle managed to scare her, even when she wasn’t there. She hated how fragile her voice made her feel, in spite of her attempts to build herself back up.

And she hated how she still thought about her eyes and her voice and her fucking mouth.

The woman tried to kill her, and yet, she still had the command to make Eve think about the inflections in her voice when she called out her name. Fuck Villanelle.

A click at the door forced her back to reality, seeing Hugo stood in the entrance. She pocketed the earpiece while he wasn’t looking.

Eve saw that god-awful smirk spread across his face when he noticed her. “Hey, stranger. You here for a goodbye quickie?”

Okay, fuck Hugo too.

***

Eve hadn’t managed to work up the nerve to wear it again.

A few hours had passed since her visit to MI6. It was late, she wasn’t sure what time, but probably past midnight. Everyone else in the house was asleep except from Eve. Wide awake.

She studied the small piece of kit as it lay defenceless on her bed. She heard occasional mumbles of noise coming from the earpiece, she’d even managed to identify a couple of the murmurs as English words, but she couldn’t put it back in to listen properly.

The English probably made it worse. Now she’d know what Villanelle was saying. If she was coming to kill her, she’d know. She’d rather remain blissfully ignorant until the last moment when she came to finish the job.

That was part of the fear, the knowing. The fact that she could pick up that ear piece and have her world ripped apart again.

That, plus the idea of what Villanelle would actually say to her. Would she threaten her? Mock her? Berate her? She didn’t know. She didn’t want to know.

As hard as she tried to talk herself down, it didn’t work.

‘There’s no way Villanelle could know you have it.’

‘It’s impossible for her to tell if you’re listening.’

‘She wouldn’t give away something like her plan to kill you.’

Eve also believed once upon a time that Villanelle wouldn’t hurt her. And yet, here she was.

Her bullet wound throbbed, her eyes watering. Fuck Villanelle.

***

Eve sat in agonising silence for an hour.

Time had stopped. She no longer felt the pain in her abdomen. She didn’t feel the tiredness creeping in anymore. Her attention was split between the soft murmurs and the same thoughts cycling through her head.

Her anxiety was the highest it had probably ever been. She felt this battle being fought in her head over what action she needed to take with this damn earpiece. If she didn't listen to it, she didn't hear anything she didn't want to. She could pretend like whatever Villanelle is saying doesn't exist at all.

If she did listen to it, it would put her out of her misery. She wouldn't be sat wondering what Villanelle was saying, whether she was pleading for Eve or MI6 to come find her and help her, or whether Villanelle had kidnapped someone close to her and was taunting her via the microphone.

What if she thought she was talking with MI6? What if Eve found out that Carolyn had actually tasked Villanelle with killing Eve? How would she deal with being fired, shot and having two of the people she thought she was closest to turn their backs on her?

She'd decided. Blissful ignorance be damned, she couldn’t cope with this anymore. She needed closure. Needed to just get it over with. At least then, she might be able to prepare for whatever was going to happen to her.

Eve’s hand reached out to pick up the earpiece. At that moment, it didn’t feel like she was in control of her own body. It felt like she was merely a spectator.

She waited for the buzz to die off before lodging the ear piece back in and waited. And waited. For what seemed like an eternity. Then, it happened.

_Did you know the only letters that don’t appear on the periodic table are J and Q?_

Eve blinked. What?

She had mentally prepared herself for many different scenarios. Science facts had not been one of them.

_It’s amazing the sort of stuff you pick up when your target’s a chemistry professor. Did I ever tell you about that one? He reminds me of the target I told you about last week._

Okay. This seemed a little more reasonable.

_Well, technically with Q, there are elements that have had it in their names, but only temporary names. So officially…_

Eve tuned out the science rambling and focused back on the voice. It was definitely Villanelle’s, her usual Russian accent giving Villanelle's voice its usual flair. She sounded so… Calm. So ridiculously at ease.

Why was everyone so fucking at ease all the time? Was her life really the only one destroyed in the fallout of this situation?

It took Eve a moment, but she noted the lack of response. There was no one else there.

Was Villanelle talking to herself?

…Was Villanelle talking to Eve?

The one way line of communication was probably worse than having to hear the voice of the woman who shot her. She just had to sit complacent and listen. No questions, no talking back, and no opportunity to tell Villanelle to go fuck herself.

_I was right, by the way. Konstantin was their informant._

Wait, what?

_I’ll tell you about it tomorrow. It’s late in London and you’re probably sleeping, but he’s the reason we’re in this mess._

Wait, WHAT?

‘We’? Since when was there a ‘we’? Any 'we' ended when Villanelle put a bullet in her. And what mess is this new ‘we’ now in?

_The last guy I took out was such a little squealer, I got out of him what I could. All he really said was that Konstantin was involved and he was the one to drag you into this._

Eve’s heart was in her throat. Any anger or upset in her body had now morphed into dread and anxiety. What the absolute fuck was going on?

_I’m expecting a target in about twenty minutes. I’m gonna turn you off, I know you’re not gonna want to hear me and this guy. I’ll talk to you soon Eve._

“No!” Eve didn’t realise she was yelling until after the fact, though she was too caught up in the earpiece to feel embarrassed or guilty about undoubtedly waking up the other occupants. It didn't penetrate her brain immediately, but she realised Villanelle said her name. She was talking to her.

How did she know Eve was listening? Did she even know Eve was listening? Because her words suggested she'd been having these conversations with an 'Eve' who wasn't even there. Had she just been hoping Eve had kept the earpiece?

She paused. It didn't matter now. The earpiece was dead.

Eve sighed, burying her face in her hands with a frusrated groan. What had she gotten herself into?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and admissions of guilt can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both
> 
> Also please see the end for a lil rant, if it so takes your fancy

Eve didn’t sleep. She had spent the night coming the terms with the reality of this situation and clinging to some fading hope that Villanelle’s voice would drift through on the earpiece again soon.  
  
She’d been trying to piece everything together. Knowing she was in a ‘mess’ but not know what this mess was really wasn’t suiting her. She liked knowing and being in control, she liked knowing what was going on at all times.  
  
What did she mean by Konstantin was their informant? Informant for who? The Twelve? MI6? Villanelle?  
  
And she said her name. Did she know she was at the other end of the microphone?  
  
Or was it just a guess, and Eve was really so predictable that, despite being shot by Villanelle, she knew Eve would still come running to the woman whenever she got the chance? Like some lovesick teenager charging to do their crush’s homework?  
  
Fuck Villanelle.  
  
Eve couldn’t deny that the feelings of resentment still lingered heavy in her heart. This wasn’t something they were going to get past quickly, if ever.  
  
Eve wasn’t sure she even wanted to work through it. Why? So she could forgive Villanelle and be manipulated again? Would she just keep going until her injuries were severe enough to kill her off, would she have to wait for death to break the cycle?  
  
Because she wanted to. God, she ached to see Villanelle again. And she hated herself for it. What kind of fucked up do you have to be to want to see the woman who tried to kill you?  
  
She could pretend that she wanted to see Villanelle to hurt her, tell her that she didn’t need her and she’d be fine without her. And that would be reality, to a degree. But Eve knew she’d still be dealing with the niggling thoughts in the back of her mind about how her clothes hug her body and the fascinating deadness behind her eyes after she shoots Eve and how it would feel to just take Villanelle and slam her against a wall and to just… Take back some of that control.  
  
Fuck Villanelle.  
  
***  
  
Eve didn’t hear anything. Her restraint from sleep had been for absolutely nothing, she didn’t hear a peep from the microphone all night.  
  
She’d managed to get herself out of the house to function like a regular human being, which now seemed increasingly dull and tedious given the life Eve had fallen from.  
  
For her own sanity, she couldn’t just stay home and wait. She couldn't let Villanelle have that much power over her, where she manages to completely halt her life without even being there.  
  
She kept the earpiece in all day, though. Pick your battles.  
  
Eve’s day consisted of a couple of job interviews, as well as moving some stuff out of her and Niko’s flat, opting for a time he would be at school. It was probably for the best. They hadn't spoken since before she went to Rome.  
  
This life, which she lived with such vigour and joy just a few months prior, had become so monotonous and dull to her. She used to thrive in the security and stability of a normal life. Now, she felt like there was something missing. Her life now was incomplere. Unfinished.  
  
Eve returned back ‘home’, if she could call it that, at about six. She ate a mediocre dinner and made feeble phatic talk to maintain some façade of normality to the other occupants of the house. She loathed it. How much she had to keep up appearances. None of that mattered when she was with… No, fuck Villanelle.

Retiring to her room, Eve felt some of the burden of the day begin to wash away. There was no one around, except a voice. A voice which finally came back.

  
_Hi Kill Commander, how’s your evening?_

  
Eve froze. She felt a sharp rise in her anxiety as well as her heart thrumming away in her chest. She sat down on the bed.

  
_My day’s been pretty good, I tried that sushi place down the street for dinner._

  
It was so bizarre to hear. It was like Villanelle was living out this domestic fantasy she had been discussing in the ruins.

  
_I managed to steal a phone and called the hospital, they told me you’d gotten out about a week ago._

  
This was it. Villanelle had called to see if she was there so she could finish off the job. And now she was going to come and find her. She should have known this was how it would end, why did she keep getting suckered back into Villanelle’s world despite being even more aware of the risks than ever before?

  
There was a pause. Eve’s chest felt tight.

  
_I’m glad you’re okay. I hope you’re safe._

  
The words faultered into Eve’s brain. She was confused.

  
_I hope you heard some of this, too. I've been trying to figure out if MI6 took the earpiece off you or if you had it in hospital. I can only hope you have it at all. But, I hope you heard me after the shooting. I hope it helped you feel a little better._

  
So she’d been talking to Eve since the shooting? And she’d been trying to comfort her?

  
It would have been a lot more comforting to not put a bullet in her stomach.

  
_I felt so stupid, it just reminded me of Konstantin telling me I’d gone soft._

  
Shit, Konstantin! She was still none the wiser about his activities.

  
_Maybe I have, that’s all on you._

  
A small giggle. God, her heart shouldn’t have reacted like that to the woman’s laugh.

Another hesitant pause.

  
_I think I might be safe to start telling you details now, since I told you after I’d left that I’d explain everything when I could. Promise not to tell anyone?_

  
The rhetoric’s made everything worse by highlighting the fact Eve couldn’t respond. It was a situation where she truly felt bound and helpless. Like she just had to watch everything unfold and collapse.

  
_I left to take cover at a hotel. Well, I mean, I got you medical attention first. And then I ran to take cover after I knew I wasn’t being followed._

  
Eve was struggling to comprehend any of this information. All she knew was that Villanelle, the cold blooded psychopath she so proudly claimed to be, had shot her because she couldn’t get her own way.

  
And now she was being told Villanelle orchestrated the medical attention that saved her life? She saved her life, despite trying to take it? Talk about mixed messages.

  
_When I got there, I stole some clothes, tried to arrange some weapons, and then we had… That conversation._

  
Eve could her voice getting choked up. She was battling with the two parts of her that told Villanelle she deserved it, and the other which desperately wanted to talk her down. Not to mention, the small voice bellowing in the back of her mind, pleading with the universe to make it all make sense.

  
_And then it was a case of get to work. They’d sent seven agents to Rome, I just had to find them._

  
The vague language was leaving Eve on the edge of tearing her hair out. Who was ‘they’? Her best guess was that it was the Twelve. She knew they’d sent agents to take out Villanelle, after all. But what did Eve have to do with that?

  
What work? What was this one sided conversation that had supposedly taken place? And what was all of this about Konstantin being an informant?

  
_And, I did take them all out. In case you’re worrying._

 

The usual deafening smugness that usually accompanied Villanelle's admissions of success was vacant. Her tone was a lot more muted and modest. It was an odd change.

 

_Any threats in Rome were dealt with pretty quickly. Obviously, or you wouldn’t be around._

  
A moment of bewilderment and confusion, followed by a sudden click of clarity. She wasn't just protecting herself.

  
The Twelve were there to kill Eve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am posting this out of pure spite. I was fine with the finale episode, but the articles (linked here: https://bit.ly/2EA23WS https://bit.ly/2X8l1Lb) that came out following the offical US premier have left me almost deleting my Twitter and AO3 and giving up on this show.
> 
> I'm so mad. They build a show based off an amazing dynamic, only to tell us they won't explore that dynamic further in season 3? And the fact there were so many questions they just answered 'I don't know' to, like about why it was important Eve killed Raymond, or why Villanelle shot Eve, is just increidbly lazy writing and shows that we shouldn't have trusted the writers and their 'bigger picture'. They haven't thought this through at all.
> 
> I can only hope season three goes better, but at this moment in time, I have no desire to watch it.
> 
> Like I said, I'm posting this out of spite. To show that there is a way back from season two and because, at this point, I'm pretty sure I've put more time and effort into making this work and tying everything up than they have into the season 2 finale. I have a 2,500 word plan for 13 chapters currently (though there will be more), which links up quotes and events from the episode to make it make sense, I've watched the episode countless times to make this outcome as watertight as possible, and they don't even know why Villanelle shot Eve. Pathetic. I'm so mad.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and Anne Lister's diary entries can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both
> 
> Translations at the end of the chapter

In the moment, Villanelle didn’t feel anything.

She felt invisible. Like people could walk right through her, like there was nothing of her left. She felt a hollowness, a deep emptiness leaving just the shell of a person.

She felt like her old self.

The one who used to kill with no remorse or secondary thoughts. Never one to feel guilt, she had, however, grown to feel something. A curiosity, maybe a fascination. Now there was just a void. A void which consumed everything and left her with nothing.

Villanelle stumbled for a moment on the outside of the ruins, jamming the gun back into the waistband of her trousers in order to hide the evidence. She’d dispose of it later.

Working her way through the ruins, she managed to find an exit towards the side where the crowds weren’t gathered. They’d clearly heard the shot.

She decided to make a pretence of alarm and ignorance, managing to blend into the crowd before finding a blameless party of local residents at the front. She didn’t have the energy to act, she just wanted to relish in the cold numbness she’d been subjected to. Despite that, she couldn’t act out of character from the scene. She didn’t need to draw attention to herself.

“Chiama un'ambulanza, penso che qualcuno abbia sparato a qualcuno!”

With that, she readily made her exit before they could ask questions.

The winding streets of Rome made it easy for Villanelle to diverge a number of times to ensure she wasn’t being followed.

She felt a heavy manifestation follow her, but it wasn’t a physical presence. It was a dull, sinking feeling she wasn’t familiar with. Though, she hadn’t been familiar with many emotions until recently. Was this guilt? Fear? Apathy?

She didn’t have time for this. She turned another corner.

Villanelle reached a hotel after validating that she was indeed alone. She booked a room, reeling off some card details she had memorised for an emergency. The ideal would be to pay cash, leave no paper trail, but it was nothing that couldn’t be disposed of later.

Throwing the woman a callous, dead glance, Villanelle took the keys and began the trek up to her room wordlessly.

She passed a maid in one of the rooms, the door propped open by her cleaning cart. Perfect.

“Oh, so sorry!” She began, her voice converting to something reminiscent of an upper class British woman. “Just needed to pop back for a change of clothes.” She finished as she came all the way into the room, receiving an awkward smile from the maid, clearly unaware of anything she'd said.

It only took a couple of moments for Villanelle to gather a number of clothing items, as well as finding a phone and a small amount of cash hidden under the garments. She gave a false smile to the maid as she left.

Once in her room, she unlocked the phone with relative ease and sent a text.

_I need weapons and cash. You have ten minutes to track my location before I wipe this phone and destroy it. You got us into this mess, you’re helping to get us out._

She locked the phone and threw it onto the bed, along with the clothes she had borrowed.

She stood, back against the wall, and just stopped.

This shouldn’t have happened. It would have been so much easier to just run than have to fight.

Her head fell back and her eyes slipped shut. That heavy presence she had been dragging around with her began to steadily intensify. Her chest became constricted and her breathing felt hollow and drawn out, but she still couldn’t get enough air into her lungs.

Everything was just too much. The gentle sunlight streaming in through the net curtains was too bright and harsh. The lax rumbles of conversation coming from outside the hotel room were blaring, verging on deafening. The way the material of her clothes hugged her delicate skin were almost painful. The rumpled texture of the wallpaper on her back made her wince. The little nub of the microphone felt-

It stopped, out of nowhere. Everything ceased. The presence was still heavy in the air, but her surroundings were blurred and muted. The only thing in focus was the microphone. Her way through to Eve, when she had previously thought she would go at this feat alone and return to a woman who would now view her as nothing more than a threat.

She knew doing this would leave Eve feeling betrayed and hurt. As a result, Eve’s feelings would fade. She’d be under the impression Villanelle wanted her dead or hurt. And there would be no coming back from that.

Villanelle would lose the love she had been desperately seeking out for an eternity. But, she could make Eve safe. And she needed to put her safety above her own happiness, or they’d both be left with nothing.

“Eve,” the word released from between her teeth with such force and hope it almost threw Villanelle off balance, yet such tenderness that the woman was surprised she even had the capacity to be that vulnerable.

“Eve, I’m so sorry. I hope you can hear me.” She spoke, urgently trying to remember whether she saw Eve with the earpiece in or not. It wouldn’t matter. Unbeknownst to Villanelle, Eve had already passed out by this point.

“I, fuck, I’m so sorry. You’re gonna be okay, I made sure of it.” Her head was spinning, she was in a daze. She didn’t know what she was feeling, she just knew it was a lot and all at once. It was too much for her.

“I promise, it was for the best. I can explain everything Eve.” A laugh from the corridor outside threw her off. It caught her off guard. “Not-Not now, though. When I know it’s safe.”

Her breathing was shaky, her hands trembling. A film of tears rested over her eyes, spilling over onto her cheeks as her eyes closed and she let her head tip back against the wall behind her. She tried to compose her thoughts in an attempt to be somewhat rational in this wholly abstruse situation.

“I meant it. What I said in the ruins.” She admitted, swallowing nervously. “I said it for the wrong reasons. I used it as a means to try and persuade you to come with me, but I do mean it.”

Her feet heaved over the floor as she moved to the bed and sat down, eyes fixed on the floor. “I love you, and...” A pause before something clicked for Villanelle. “Fuck, I’m _scared_.”

The final word came out both as an admission and revelation. Her tone was pure, cold shock. She’d been through the most traumatic experiences imaginable and had grazed the surface of death on several occasions. And Eve had the power to make her scared. She had that dominion over her, and Villanelle had managed to kid herself for all this time believing that she had the most power and the upper hand in this relationship.

“I’m gonna get you out of this. I intend to keep my promise, I’ll look after you.” The bed covers shifted slightly, indicating a buzz from the phone. She picked it up, the screen bright.

_Why should I? I gave you your chance to get out of this._

Dickhead.

_Because I know what’s in that envelope Carolyn was going to give to you. I expect you have it by now. If you want to keep their address a secret and keep your family alive and away from further threats, you’ll help me._

She tossed the phone behind her on the bed, her head dropping and a deflated sigh coming forth after a moment’s silence.  
“We’re going to be okay. But, I need to get to work, and you probably won’t want to hear me working.” There was no ‘if’ to Villanelle through most of the conversation anymore. Whether she was actually listening or not didn’t matter to her, she just wanted to cling to the possibility.

“I promise I’ll talk to you soon, let you know I’m safe. I know you worry.” She chuckled weakly before drawing out another pause.

“We’re gonna be okay. See you soon.” She brought her hand up to tap off the mic, feeling another wave of emptiness hit her as she cut the communications. In that moment, she realised she wasn’t sure whether she was convincing herself or Eve that they’d be okay and be reunited.

Another buzz. She grabbed the phone.

_I’ll drop them outside, I’m not coming in._

A weak smile broke across her face.

_Probably wise._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italian translation - Call an ambulance! I think someone's been shot!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and pokeballs can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both

A few days had passed.  
  
Eve didn’t know that. Everything blurred into one agonisingly painful, unrelenting existence. Just when she thought she could get answers, she left with more questions, more anxieties and even less sleep.  
  
It had been a few days since she had spoken to Villanelle. Could she even call it that? She didn’t say a word.  
  
Eve was beginning to worry for her. She fooled herself into believing she was worried because Villanelle was seemingly getting her out of some ‘mess’ and if Villanelle wasn’t around, she’d have to deal with it herself. Whatever ‘it’ was.  
  
In her heart, she knew that wasn’t the case. She’d never admit it. Fuck Villanelle.  
  
She was constantly fighting with herself. Villanelle sounded like she wanted to protect her. But if that was the case, why did she shoot her?  
  
Villanelle was selfish. She couldn’t get her own way, so no one could. How does that add up to helping Eve?  
  
And how was Eve now directly involved with the Twelve? Or whoever it was that was after her.  
  
She didn’t need this. Why couldn’t things just go back to normal when she needed them to?  
  
The days without Villanelle’s presence were pretty productive. She had interviewed and been accepted into a job for the Home Office. Definitely not as exciting as MI6, but in the same field nonetheless.  
  
It was way beyond her qualifications and pay grade. However, she figured Carolyn might have begun feeling and ounce of guilt about Rome. If that was possible. So, a good word or two might have been thrown in Eve’s favour. Either way, she started in a week.  
  
On top of that, she had been looking at flats to rent for when she could afford the deposit. Finally, some sense of normality began to build. And it was all in Villanelle’s absence. She would be fine without her. Fuck Villanelle.  
  
***  
  
It was late, approaching 11pm. Eve had suffered through another mundane dinner with her family before excusing herself upstairs to the solitude of her room. She perused a couple more flats online, called her mother to keep her updated on how she was before showering.  
  
It was so normal. Everything was as it appeared, she didn’t need to keep checking over her shoulder or figure out an exit strategy. She could just relax.  
  
That was, until she heard the faint speech again.  
  
Still clad in a towel, she lurched for the earpiece resting on the nightstand. She felt disgusted at how fervently she went for the device. What happened to not needing her?  
  
The thought was pushed to the back of her mind as the earpiece returned to its usual place.

_…but I managed to get him on his way out. That was a bloody one._

Eve sank down to the bed, trying to prepare for whatever wave of destruction Villanelle was going to deliver to her this time.

_As for the other two, they were pretty easy targets. Just stubborn. Didn’t know when they’d been beaten._

Villanelle sounded out of breath. Her words were tight and sharp, almost like she was in pain.

_So that’s, uhh, four from today? Thirteen in total. Fuck-_

She cut herself off with a pained groan, hearing rattling from the immediate surroundings of the microphone. Maybe a first aid box?

_The last son of a bitch got a good shot at my leg, though. Nothing too deep, I don’t think. Just hurts like a bitch._

Frustrations began to rise. She was tired of constantly having to piece things together, she just wanted to _know_. She wanted to ask questions. She wanted something to make sense.

Had she been shot? Stabbed? Were they going to come for her while she was weak? Could she help in any way?

Another groan cut off her stream of consciousness, followed by a wounded cry.

Eve felt bad for her, she couldn’t deny that anymore. Hearing the immense pain in her voice and her cries made her heart hurt. Tears formed in her eyes.

_I-It’s fine, just a bit of a scratch really. Just like to put on a show._

Villanelle tried to laugh it off, but she faltered. There was a long pause.

_I wish I didn’t doubt myself like this._

Eve blinked, streaks now painting her cheeks as she tried to hold herself together.

_I’m sorry. I have moments where I lose sight of what’s at the end of all of this._

Eve released a trembling sigh. What was at the end of all of this?

_But, it hurts. Knowing that I’m probably alone and there’s no one on the other end of this line. Knowing that I’ll come home to a cold shoulder and a broken heart._

Until now, Eve didn’t think Villanelle had the capabilities to feel in such a way, let alone to express those feelings.

_It’s not your fault. I know how this must all seem to someone on the outside. There’s more to it, I promise._

Eve was doubting herself now. Was there more to the shooting? More to the Peel case? More to the Twelve? Villanelle could take everything she thought she knew about her life and her being and tear it apart in mere minutes. She hated that.

_I wish I could hear you talk about your day._

God, the sentiment was so normal. Too normal. Villanelle would get bored with normal.

_I think today… You went to work, wherever that is now, you went for coffee with a friend, and I think you went home to watch one of those god-awful reality shows you’re obsessed with._

She longed for that reality. The dust was settling, but nothing was normal yet. Especially with Villanelle back in the picture.

_I think you’re probably staying with a friend or relative. Or maybe Niko was nice and let you keep the house._

Eve wouldn’t want it if he tried. Too many memories embedded in those walls.

_But I think you’re gonna try to get your own place to live soon. Maybe a flat share, help you feel less lonely. You’re not used to being by yourself, after all._

Villanelle had a point. She’d been living with Niko for so long she forgot what it was like to be fully alone. She hadn't even considered anything but complete isolation. Why could she still read her like a goddamn book without even knowing she was there? Why did Villanelle know her better than she knew herself?

_Or maybe you could get a cat. But you don’t really seem like a cat person, and a dog is too much responsibility for you right now._

It was a little eerie how Villanelle could reel off her realities so easily.

_Maybe stick with a hamster. Or a bunny. I’ve always wanted to get one, they’re my favourite animal._

It was ridiculous how intimate and trusting learning something about Villanelle seemed. No one would ever need to know her favourite animal to use against her, but the woman was so shut off from everyone that any new information about her was precious.

_I’d love a dog, too. If we went to Alaska, I was going to get a husky. Call it Laika. Did you know that was the name of the first dog in space?_

Eve smirked. By now, she was laid back on the bed listening intently to Villanelle’s ramblings. She wanted to hate how at ease this woman, who had tried to hurt her so violently and impulsively, made her feel. She didn’t care, though. She didn’t have the energy left in her to care right now. She’d been running from her own feelings for far longer than she’d like to admit.

_It’s late in London, isn’t it? Like… 1am or so? If you’re listening, you should go._

Her heart sank at the notion of Villanelle going. Just as she’d found a fraction of peace, here it was being taken away from her.

_I’ll be with you again soon, I’ll try to talk to you tomorrow. I miss you._

And she missed her too, everything else be damned. She didn’t know anything anymore, she just knew Villanelle. It was the one thing she couldn’t deny. The one truth that kept blaring at her in every situation, no matter how hurt or in denial she tried to be, the one constant in her life. She missed her.

_See you soon, Evie._

The microphone clicked dead. A piece of herself dissipated. The emptiness in her chest returned.

Eve cried into her hands. God, what had she gotten herself into?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and complimentary glasses of champagne can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both
> 
> This is the first part of a conversation, the second part will be posted soon!

A week had passed. Eve had started at her new job by this point, just as mundane as her first MI6 job, and she’d managed to speak with Villanelle on and off a couple of times throughout the week.

She’d ended up having to tell a couple of white lies at work, saying the earpiece was a hearing aid so they didn’t make her take it out. She couldn’t risk missing Villanelle. Though, it was a little disconcerting how easily they believed her. Did she really look old enough for her hearing to be deteriorating?

Well, fuck those guys.

Much to her surprise, Villanelle had been keeping out of trouble. Mostly observational stuff and figuring out the logistics behind her next kills. It helped Eve’s mind to rest a little easier, knowing she wasn’t putting herself in direct, immediate danger.

Plus, it meant she got to listen to Villanelle while the both of them worked. Eve would be typing away at her desk when quiet chirps of Russian would buzz through on her earpiece, along with frustrated grumbling and the occasional sing along to whatever was on the radio, if Villanelle was feeling that way inclined on that day.

It was something to look forward to. It helped the day drag on a little quicker. It made Eve feel like the woman was there, watching over her, ready to take out any threats that may arouse themselves and pounce at Eve.

That wasn’t always a good thing, though. She left her guard down a little too much. Were something to happen, Villanelle wasn’t actually there to protect her. She needed to remember that.

Eve was on the underground home this time when the voice came back to her, bright and airy.

_Hi Kill Commander, how’re you doing?_

A warm smile settled on Eve’s face as she sat back in her seat.

Her eyes shut. She could be here.

_I’m okay, pretty bored. I’ve not had anything exciting to do, it’s just admin stuff for now. I wish we were working together. I’ll do the exciting stuff, you can handle the paperwork. You like the paperwork._

Eve felt her excitement grow as she visualised the possibility, only for it to be followed by a wave of sadness when she felt the bullet wound throb. Don’t get ahead of yourself, Eve.

_Have you seen the news headlines? I saw one yesterday about the investigation into Peel._

Her heart sank. That was a seperate mess she hadn’t even thrown a thought to in the last few weeks.

_It just talked about the inquiries and investigating it further, I’d assume it’s pretty textbook stuff that MI6 usually puts out in their clean-up operation. Y’know, make it seem like they’re actually doing something about it._

The tightness in Eve’s chest returned as she listened to Villanelle’s attempts to be comforting. She felt the world folding inward. She got off the tube. A stop too early, but she could walk.

_You should’ve listened when I used the safe word._

Eve stopped in her tracks, much to the dismay of the commuters barging past her. She did listen, that’s why she went down to Peel’s house, right?

_I mean, I can’t be mad. You kind of did, just took it the wrong way._

Eve felt herself shoved forward, causing her to re-join the flock of commuters as she moved for the exit.

_When I saw that Raymond was there, I knew he was there for me. I had hoped they would have waited until we got back from Rome to deal with me. Or, deal with us. They’re not stupid, they’ll deal with us at the same time. They’ll kill me and then get to you when you’re vulnerable. I knew if he was there, there had to be someone there to get to you too._

Villanelle’s voice rang deafeningly in her ears. She’d been hoping, since their first couple of conversations, that Villanelle would add another detail to their story and it would shoot down Eve’s suspicions that they were going to kill her.

Instead, she confirmed her worst nightmares. They were trying to kill Eve. And they were going to do it in Rome when Villanelle couldn’t protect her.

_So, that’s why I had to pull the safe word. I thought you’d just take off, or I hoped you would. I didn’t know how else to warn you._

By this point, Eve realised she had just been wandering in a vague direction of home. Someone was trying to kill her. Her life was in genuine, serious danger. This revelation brought on a new type of fear to the forefront of Eve’s mind.

It was one she’d never felt before. It penetrated every fibre of her being and made her debilitating aware of her surroundings. Her lungs and throat felt heavy, like they weren’t filled with air, but with something more suffocating. Her skin was burning, but simultaneously numb. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t fight. All she could think to do was exist. Her daze of terror was interrupted when she heard the voice drifting through into her ear again.

_Then when you came in and started asking why I used the safe word, I couldn’t risk telling you the Twelve were here for you. If they knew they’d been compromised, they’d go in all guns blazing and take us our as quick and efficiently as possible._

By this point, Eve had made it home. Wordlessly, she let herself in and marched straight through to her bedroom, waving off the greetings from the other occupants of the house. She sank down onto her bed.

_That’s how they work, everything’s a finite operation until something goes wrong. Then, they just get done what they need to and deal with the clean-up later._

Eve had been hung up on why Villanelle would obviously use the safe word, only to deny it. She didn’t even consider that Villanelle may have used it to warn her, to protect her. Villanelle would have been able to handle herself, but Eve? She was in real danger.

_They have eyes everywhere. Even in Aaron’s obnoxious fortress of solitude, I couldn’t risk telling you. I’m sorry, Eve._

The bright voice that had greeted Eve on the underground was now gone, replaced with a sunken, defeated tone.

For half of their time in Rome, Villanelle knew the Twelve were coming to kill Eve, and she couldn’t even tell her in case they tried to take her out quick as possible when they found out Eve knew. She just had to mitigate the situations they were put in the keep Eve safe, all without a plan and all without her knowing. A new sense of clarity hit Eve, it made so much more sense.

_Just think, if I hadn’t had a snoop through Aaron’s computer, I wouldn’t have found out. So, next time you tell me I’m being too nosy, let me be nosy._

There was a weak chuckle at the end of the line which soothed Eve’s tense heart fractionally.

_He’s good, though I don’t want to admit it. The Twelve sent Raymond as a buyer, full cover, full backstory, and Aaron still found out he was from the Twelve._

At some point, Eve’s eyes had clouded with tears. Though, she wasn’t sure why. It was for some reason between finding out she was probably going to die and figuring out that Villanelle had spent half of their time together in Rome protecting Eve, all while Eve was none the wiser. And Eve had been nothing but a dick in return.

_Looks like he just kept digging, he must have had most of their confidential files in his possession. That’s how I found your file, that’s how I found their plan for you._


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and pride flags can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both

The place was still. Eerily still. Too still for Villanelle’s liking. She liked some signs of life before going in for the kill, not just in her target.

Before she could be accosted by Aaron’s arsenal of maids and servants, Villanelle had managed to slip out of the room she had been staying in, still clad in Aaron’s standard issue pyjamas, and had made her exit to see what she could snoop out. It didn’t matter if Aaron saw, he wasn’t going to last much longer.

Eve would thank her later when she came back with extra intel, she knew it. It was almost sickening how much Villanelle wanted to please the woman. If anyone had spoken to her the way Eve did in the forest of Dean, they wouldn’t be around anymore. She’d never have anyone speak to her in a manner she didn’t deserve anymore, yet here she was. Working alongside the woman whose cold displays left her seeking more affirmation. It was messed up.

Villanelle’s eyes darted around the hallway, taking a moment to just observe her surroundings. It was bare of life but full of… Stuff. It was the best way she could describe it. Aaron didn’t want people, he wanted things. Data, power, money, he just wanted stuff. And it reflected in his living situations. Everything was far too extravagant and obnoxious to Villanelle’s tastes.

She approached a partially parted door with caution, glancing over her shoulder to ensure she was truly alone. As she reached the entrance, she threw another look backwards before warily entering.

The room was everything Aaron wanted. Grand, obnoxious, and secretive. At the end, she could see monitor screens. Perfect.

With her guard still raised, she took a seat behind the monitors, taking in the room momentarily before turning her attention back to the computers.

A flick of her fingers over the mousepad revealed all of Aaron’s little secrets. Open was a selection of folders, including one titled ‘Billie’.

She smirked. How flattering.

Without any thought or hesitation, Villanelle opened the folder to find an assortment of video clips, all with nondescript names. Clicking the most recent one, it revealed a video of her from in the bedroom from the day prior.

She frowned. How creepy.

The realisation then hit her that he probably had clips of her and Eve’s intimate moments from last night. A slight wave of sadness hit her at the realisation. She wanted those to be private and special, for Eve’s sake if nothing else.

Her attention turning elsewhere, she clicked another file in the ‘Matilda’ folder. After a brief loading period, a clip began to play of said woman asleep in one of the rooms Aaron provided.

Wow. How very creepy.

Her attention piqued as she noticed a man approaching the bed, an object in his hand. Watching intently, somewhere between horrified and fascinated, she witnessed that woman’s final breath while her life drew to a close in front of what was essentially Aaron’s eyes and ears.

Villanelle’s body lulled back in the plush chair as she tried to take it all in, needing a moment before she could snap out of it and get back to work. There were more important things to look for, after all.

Her fingers dragged intricately over the mousepad as she began to look through a couple more folders. One that caught her attention, purely because she knew it would be of interest to Eve, was a folder labelled ‘buyers.’

In there, laid an assortment of names, some of which she knew. Public figures, politicians, large organisations or brands. The standard clientele who would want something like this. As she scrolled, one name caught her eye.

_The Twelve_

Her face twisted into a surprised grin. Why, she wasn’t sure. She had a suspicion they’d show some interest.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she clicked the file. Her eyes were greeted to documents upon documents of information, all originally belonging to the Twelve.

He must have hacked them. Though, whether it was to find out who they were or to add to his database, she wasn’t sure.

She moved to the search bar to type in her number, 5500049. When it came to documenting anything, the Twelve were careful. They never wanted to leave a paper trail, or to leave themselves exposed in the instance of these documents falling into the wrong hands. They had to keep security tight as possible, so names were almost never used, as well as pictures.

Sure enough, her file flashed up on the monitor. She smirked, he’d really done his homework.

She didn’t need to see it, she knew exactly what was in there. But, her attention drew to another file that had come up where her number had been mentioned. Her brow furrowed as she leaned into the monitor slightly in disbelief.

_Eve Polastri_

Her eyes scanned over the words repeatedly, almost like they weren’t real. Like they didn’t mean _her_ Eve Polastri, she wanted to believe they were two completely separate entities.

She clicked the file.

It brought up a simple case file, explaining who she was, who she worked for, and who her connections were, including her connection to Villanelle. She hoped, just for a second, they had just been monitoring her.

Maybe they wanted to make sure she didn’t recruit Villanelle to MI6, maybe it was all standard procedure. Their usual protocol when it came to a potential threat to their agents was to remove them as quick as possible, but maybe Villanelle was different. She was good, very good in fact. Probably the best the Twelve had. Maybe they didn't want to rock the boat.

She flicked through Eve’s case file, finding the usual information you’d expect on someone, nothing out of the ordinary. A small sense of relief began to settle.

When she reached the end of her case file, another report began. Eager eyes flicking through the details, she read as much as she could.

Everything stopped. There were no longer soft clatters coming from adjacent rooms, or generic noises of life outside. The plush cushioning of the chair couldn’t be felt beneath her, the wig on her head didn’t irritate her anymore. The only thing that would penetrate her brain were those words. And what they meant was going to happen.

“Oh my _god_.”

***

Her exit from the room was hasty, mind still clouded in these new revelations. She wasn't thinking or acting in her standard, meticulously careful way. As she left, she bumped into one of the maids.

“Sorry,” She muttered, not even sure if she was in character when she uttered the weak apology. As she passed, her hand felt a phone in the woman’s pocket. She didn’t even think, just slipped it away while she was distracted.

Villanelle made it back to her room and sank down onto the bed. She was still in this hazed mind set, anything in her immediate surroundings just didn’t seem real. None of this seemed real, it was more akin to a dream.

It took a moment, but her brain picked up on the sensation of something in her hands. She looked down to the phone, unlocking it and beginning to search. They needed an exit plan.

It took a few minutes, but she made her plan. She pressed the phone to her ear and waited as it rang. She didn’t know that Eve wasn’t listening, but she hoped the ensuing conversation would get across the point that they needed to run.

“Hi there, I was wanting to enquire as to whether the property in Alaska was still available for purchase?”

***

“Sleep well?”

“Hm,” She almost missed the question, her brain still in a daze as it attempted to process the events the day had brought so far. “Like a baby.” She told him, taking at seat the table.

Her eyes wandered over the large carving knife present before her. She had to do it. She would have taken him out anyway, but now it had to be quick. He would have recordings of her making their plans and snooping through his computer room. He would see them eventually, if he hadn’t already. She couldn’t leave a paper trail.

“Are we going out today?” She asked. She wanted to just get it over with so they could get moving as soon as possible, but the time wasn’t right yet.

“Yes, when I’ve finished this.” He replied, attention focused almost entirely on his laptop. He really knew how to make people feel insignificant.

“What’re you doing?” Villanelle questioned, fighting with the urge to just reach for the knife and get it over with.

“Some potential buyers are coming by, so I’m just looking through their knicker draws.” Her interest piqued.

“Can I see?” She played it off as naïve interest, taking full advantage of the fact he seemingly didn’t know who she really was yet.

“Mhm,” He agreed, much to Villanelle’s surprise, and turned the laptop around. “There’s this chap.”

The sight turned her stomach. The Twelve weren’t just sending a buyer, they were sending Raymond, and that in itself was a message to Villanelle. They were going to kill her

If the Twelve were sending someone to deal with Villanelle, they’d almost definitely be sending someone to deal with Eve, to get to her while she was susceptible. She'd truly hoped they'd have waiting until this was over, to allow her to come up with a plan of action and to get Eve better informed and protected.

Villanelle felt the residual panic from this morning building, the urge to grab the knife screaming at her. But not yet, it wasn’t time.

She needed another out. Something to warn Eve she was in danger. She could handle Raymond and anyone sent for Eve, but she needed Eve to get herself out of harm’s way before they could get to her first. She tried to think, but she was out of options. She could only hope Eve would just leave, she wouldn't try to be brave.

“What a weird looking _gentleman_.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and coupons can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both

_ You guys really need to pick a better safe word next time. Or, at least, have a better exit strategy than just coming in with a letter opener. _

The voice, which feebly attempted to be some degree of comforting, buzzed right past Eve’s ears. There was an entire side to this mission she was utterly clueless about, not just on Carolyn’s part.

Eve had never had her life, her truth, shattered at such a high intensity. She could have been told she had been adopted and it probably wouldn’t have evoked the same response Eve was currently experiencing.

It was intense, it forced her to question everything she knew. Not just about Rome, about everything in general. There were some residual doubts, Villanelle did shoot her after all, but she couldn’t take anything at face value anymore. She just needed to know why.

_ After I found out, I knew we only had a small window to get out of there. It’s why I was trying to rush you so much. It’s why I was trying to convince you to just leave instead of going back to the hotel. _

A quote rang in Eve’s ears, one from after she had murdered Peel.

‘None of it matters anymore’.

It really didn’t. Peel and the clean-up didn’t matter anymore after Villanelle’s abrupt discovery. In that moment, they just needed to get out, and Villanelle couldn’t tell her that.

_ It’s also why the kill of Aaron was so rushed and… Well, boring. God, slitting his throat? How dull. Not exactly my style, is it Eve? _

Her skin still prickled every time her name came through on the ear piece. It made the situation seem real.

_ I’d hoped to do something really impressive with him, considering he thinks so highly of himself and thinks he’s completely inaccessible. I wanted him to know he’d been bested. _

Eve should have shied away at the discussion. Instead, her interest only heightened. It had become a concern to her how often she thought about it now. Witnessing Aaron’s death, killing Raymond, almost dying in the ruins. The fixation with death and killing seemed to escalate after the events in Rome. That wasn’t normal.

On the other hand, Eve had also been dealing with the revelation that there was a conspiracy to kill her and the woman she thought tried to hurt her was actually the one protecting her. So, like she said before, pick your battles. She could deal with the progression of her guilty little pleasure later.

_ But, priorities. I had to get you out of there. _

The language stung at Eve’s heart. It was all about Eve, about getting her out of harm’s way. It was far from the Villanelle she met so long ago. She’d only realised the true extent of growth Villanelle had experienced now. They had grown together, so it had been difficult for Eve to appreciate while it was happening.

_ I probably would have hung his head from the window for everyone to see. _

Well, you could only expect so much growth from one person.

_ It’s funny, whenever a kill would go wrong in the past, I’d be consumed by it. I’d spend days beating myself up over it, I’d obsess over every little detail, over what I could have done differently. But, I don’t have that this time. I have other things to focus on now. It used to be such a big thing for me, but it seems so insignificant now. _

Eve felt a strange sense of pride at the admission. She’d never expected Villanelle to grow as much as she had, let alone willingly share those details with her. Tears threatened to spill over as she listened intently at the one way conversation.

_ I don’t focus on the past, I think about the future. Because I can actually see myself having one now. _

Before she could realise, a sob had escaped Eve’s lips. Her body pleaded with the universe to give Villanelle some sign she was there. It was torture, especially knowing that Villanelle was still speaking under the assumption that Eve might not even be there. Her body ached. She needed to see her.

_ And I thought we were going to get it. But it just went... So wrong. Do you ever get the feeling the world is against you? _

That was exactly what Eve was feeling right in that moment. She felt like the world was dangling the one certainty in her life right in front of her, just slightly out of reach. She wiped her eyes with a shaky hand.

_ Currently, I feel like that. The Twelve are after us, we don’t have our life together away from all of this, my friend, if I can call him that, dubbed you into the Twelve. It’s so fucked. _

Eve tried to gather her thoughts at the last phrase. Konstantin.

This was what Villanelle must have been talking about when she said he was their informant. He was the one giving the Twelve information they needed to kill Eve.

_ Everything is falling apart. I don’t know how much more I can take, Eve. _

By now, the voice at the end of the line was barely above a whisper, an uneasy quiver in the tone which deepened the longing in the pit of Eve’s stomach. All she wanted was to see her, to feel her presence, to be reminded of her scent. She was right there, just not close enough.

_ Fuck, why have I gotten so... _

There was a groan at the line, followed by a pause.

_ I’ve gone soft, as Konstantin would put it. But, I just feel like I’ve become a little more normal. You want normal. I don’t know if I like it... I’m sorry, Eve. _

The microphone clicked off.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and chain mail can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both
> 
> Also this chapter is dedicated to Bea for having got Gashina by Sunmi stuck in my head for FOUR DAYS, with it being the only thing I listened to while writing this (also if someone wants to do a Gashina Villaneve edit I’ll be very grateful)

Five days had passed since Villanelle and Eve had last spoken.

As before, Eve found herself rather productive in Villanelle’s absence. Mostly in an attempt to distract herself from the questions regarding Villanelle’s safety.

She had managed to find a flat, gone through all the standard paperwork and had begun to pack and move her belongings.

An attempt had also been made to contact Niko to arrange to collect the rest of her stuff, no longer feeling appropriate to just barge into the house. Too much time had passed. Despite this, there had been no response from him. Who’d have thought a comment about his sex life would cause this much trouble?

Eve was stood tall and free in her new flat. It was mostly bare, but with pickings of boxes and their contents littered throughout the room.

It felt good, Eve thought. Being able to kid herself into thinking she could have some normality.

Eve knew it was just pretend. One thing changes, everything falls apart. And she wouldn’t necessarily know anything had changed, she’d know when everything began breaking down.

Most of the day had been spent organising and unpacking. Her flat was beginning to look like something she could pretend was a true home, until she got to the bed. She had made it up fresh, then it hit her. There’d be no other presence sharing the space with her. No other weight pressing against her, no one stealing the duvet, Villanelle absolutely would, no arms tangled around her middle to draw her close.

The thought took her aback. The shift had seemed so abrupt, when did she completely disregard Niko or any other potential partner and replace them with Villanelle? When did she start assuming it was Villanelle she was meant to be with? It was so automatic, it felt natural. Did Villanelle go through this after the stabbing?

Eve took a moment, proceeding to lay back on the bed and take a deep breath. It was late, she would probably be best ordering take out and spending the night in her new place.

She took a second to appreciate her surroundings. Everything felt still and safe. She’d learnt to appreciate any smidge of stability she had while she had it.

The rustling from the ear piece would probably prove itself to challenge that.

Despite the implications, the knowledge that her slither of security was probably about to be ripped away, Eve perked up at the sound. A smile settled back on her face. It had been five days, after all. The thoughts had begun to mingle into her mind about what may have happened to her.

There wasn’t any legible speech for a couple of moments, it was mostly background noise. Any speech she did manage to recognise didn’t come from Villanelle. It was quieter, suggesting it was further from the microphone, and spoke with an American accent.

Eve frowned. Whenever Villanelle switched the microphone on, it had just been to speak to Eve. Did she need Eve to listen? Was she in danger? Did she turn it on by accident?

More minutes passed before Eve heard a voice she distinctly recognised as Villanelle’s.

_ Are you ready for this? _

A faint response, followed by more rustling.

Eve, by this point, had figured out that the microphone must have been turned on by accident. Villanelle didn’t seem to be doing anything important. What was she doing?

Eve listened for a couple more minutes. She sat up on the bed, about to take the earpiece out to avoid distracting herself while she tried to unpack before she heard it. A muffled moan.

Her heart dropped and shattered like a glass falling to the ground.

She expected to be consumed by questions. Who was Villanelle with? Did she actually switch it on by accident? Did it mean anything? Instead, her mind was blank. Not blank with clarity, but void of any emotion or thoughts.

_ Mm, you’re such a good kisser. _

The words, uttered by the other woman, brought a wave of nausea with them. Fuck Villanelle.

_ Hmm, thank you. _

The utterance, this time definitely Villanelle’s, was accompanied by a blithe giggle and more rustling.

The blackness of Eve’s emotional and mental state was gone. She was angry. And hurting. She moved to take out the earpiece.

_ I’m going to call you Eve, okay? _

Oh.

Her hand froze, like Villanelle’s words had ceased time itself. 

_ Um, I don’t know about that. It’s a bit w-oh! _

The woman cut herself off with a moan. Eve laid back on the bed.

_ If you don’t like it, you’re more than welcome to leave. _

When Villanelle spoke, her words were accompanied by breathy whimpers distant in the background, which Eve took to mean Villanelle had coerced the woman into staying.

She was experiencing flashbacks to the hotel in Rome. 

Any focus she could muster was focused on the sounds from the earpiece, trying to listen out for anything from that voice she had grown so accustomed to. The breathy whines from this other woman were hot, but they weren’t her. They weren’t what Eve needed.

Despite this, she sat through and listened to them until Villanelle managed a strangled moan from the other woman. A few tired breaths later and the microphone was subject to more rustling.

_ Do you know what you’re doing? _

A pause.

_ Are you sure? _

Eve couldn’t quite figure out whether Villanelle was asking to check the woman was okay with it, or because she didn’t have the patience to deal with someone doing it badly.

_ Just your mouth, baby. _

The words sent a jolt of anticipation through Eve. Her hand traced down her stomach and dipped under the waistband of her trousers.

Those words were just what she needed, the visualisation clear in her mind.

Villanelle, sprawled out on a bed, probably half dressed. Loose strands of hair fraying from whatever style she had her hair up in, and her face. God, her face.

Her full lips, swollen from the kisses, half parted to allow for moans and whines to escape. Her eyes screwing shut as she felt that familiar pleasure coil tighter and tighter in the pit of her stomach.

Her hands gripping at the sheets that ruffle below her perfectly curved figure, hard enough for her knuckles to whiten against her blush pink skin.

Eve’s body began to tremble with want. The moans and whimpers provided by the microphone scratched an itch, but she needed more to extinguish the fire. She needed to feel her, see her, to know how she would be.

Eve’s fantasy dissipated as she heard a yelp from the microphone, followed by more rustling.

_ I don’t like that, do you have to pull my hair? It doesn’t fee-ah! _

The woman cut herself off with another moan, the familiar voice taking dominance of the conversation soon after.

_ Well, she would like it. So, you can put up with it and I’ll get you off again, or you can leave. _

Eve moaned as her hips rolled up into her hand. She could picture it so precisely, this could be her.

More breathy whimpers from Villanelle made their way through the device, giving Eve her answer as to what happened with the girl.

The free hand found its way up the bed and into Eve’s curls, tugging harshly as a low moan filtered into Eve’s ears.

It could be her. The tender kisses to Villanelle’s thighs could be hers. The skilled tongue working Villanelle to her climax could be hers. The hair Villanelle was twisting in her fingers could be hers.

_ Fuck, Evie... Keep going, fuck- _

The words were cut off with a deep, guttural moan. Eve’s hand sped up over her throbbing clit, holding the picture in her mind as best she could as her body screamed for release.

_ H-Harder. Oh god, yes! Just like that. _

Eve wanted Villanelle’s words to be hers, not some other woman’s. She wanted Villanelle’s moans to be hers, she wanted it all to be for her.

_ I-I’m gonna cum, keep going. Make me cum baby. _

Her voice was tight, but also pleading. Eve could tell she was right on the edge.

Eve bit down hard on her lip as her body begged her to relieve the building pressure between her legs.

The string of breathy whines in her ear were interrupted by a sudden loud moan, which hit Eve just right. She came undone with Villanelle, her own moan echoing through the bare walls of the apartment. The tightness between her legs gradually began to vanish, feeling the pleasure of her climax spread and begin to radiate through her body, only further fulled by the the whimpers coming from the earpiece.

Eve kept her eyes closed as she attempted to catch her breath, hearing Villanelle doing the same. If she kept herself ignorant, she could believe Villanelle was there. Just for a few more minutes, while she basked in the afterglow of her orgasm.

This ignorant bliss only lasted a few minutes, before she heard the stranger’s voice.

_ So, you promised me a round two? _

Eve huffed heavily and slipped the earpiece out, placing it aside before heading to the shower. She wasn’t going to miss anything.

Once Eve returned, she dressed in a shirt and loose shorts before curling back up in the bed. When comfortable, she slipped the earpiece back in to see what was there to greet her.

The sounds of the other woman had disappeared, much to Eve’s delight, but the microphone was still on. Now, Eve was tracking the soft breathing, visualising the rise and fall of Villanelle’s stomach. It was soothing. If she kept her eyes closed, she could be there. And the longing for the woman, which Eve carried with her in the back of her mind, would stop gnawing at her for just a few minutes.

Eve focused on the breaths in her ear, becoming both lost in the sounds and amazed at what they could do to her, the calming effect something so simple had over her.

Eve’s eyes slipped closed and, within minutes, she was asleep. The soft grumbles remained in her ear throughout the night, continuing to soothe her soul as she slept.

When morning arrived, Eve found Villanelle already awake. A satisfied grin found its way onto Eve’s face, mirroring the one she got after waking up to Villanelle on the microphone the first time.

Eve didn’t do anything that morning. Were this a normal situation, she’d spend the day as a lazy day. A day for listless soft kisses, intimate touches and time to just enjoy each others’ presence. She longed for that closeness and simplicity.

Eve had been curled up in bed listening to Villanelle presumably putter around her hotel room for almost an hour. Just as she thought the dust had settled, she heard it.

The soft taps and clicks stopped. Eve heard noise, loud and brash, coming from somewhere in the distance. There was shouting. It was in Russian. By now, Eve was sat up in the bed, the panic evident on her face as all she could do was listen. Villanelle screamed something back. There was more rustling and background noise.

Eve’s heart was in her throat. The panic set back in again, accompanied by that overwhelming feeling to just do something, despite having nowhere to go and nothing to do.

There was more shouting, followed by a cry out in pain from a voice easily recognisable as Villanelle’s.

“No!” Eve screamed, like she could do anything to stop it.

The microphone cut out. Eve was left alone.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and Emerald Fennell's head can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both
> 
> Gotta be honest, guys, I'm struggling to keep this up. These interviews are completely killing my motivation to keep the story going, not to mention just feeling pretty shitty about my writing abilities in general.
> 
> Idk I just feel really sad and defeated. Comments would be really appreciated rn if you can spare one, because I was gonna just post this because I already had it written and then just shut up shop.

Two months had passed. She hadn’t gone without hearing from Villanelle for that long before.

The strain of the one way communication system that had been operating between them was beginning to take its toll on Eve. It had been two months of radio silence and Eve had to just sit back and take it, her mind continuously lost in thoughts of where she was, what had happened, if she was still around.

Eve was distressed. Extremely so, which had only progressed further as time went on. Everyone around her had picked up on it. Some had asked what was wrong, but she couldn’t tell them. How do you explain something like this? They would ask, she would just cry. She didn’t know what else she could do.

She had considered contacting the police, but she was aware of the fact they probably couldn’t be trusted. She toyed with the idea of asking MI6 for help in tracking down Villanelle. But, she’d be looked upon as a regular civilian now, and treated as such. She was close to begging Carolyn for help. Eve knew she couldn’t trust her, though. Especially after what she pulled in Rome.

Eve felt like she was bound by chains. She recognised the feeling as stemming from panic. When something goes wrong, a person’s instinct is usually to run and rectify the issue, usually prompted by fear or panic. Eve felt that, but she couldn’t run. It felt like a pressure at its capacity that she couldn’t relieve. She had been carrying round this sense of dread and urgency with her since the incident with Villanelle. It weighed heavy on her body and on her mind, draining any energy she could muster.

The unhealthy levels of stress and anxiety had begun to harm her wellbeing. Eve had lost weight, she wasn’t taking care of herself, she couldn’t focus on anything, and her emotions were so volatile that people had begun to avoid her completely.

Most of the time, she wouldn’t speak. When she did, it took the slightest push before she was shouting or bawling. And no one knew why. They treated her like she was crazy, but that’s how she was beginning to feel.

“The baby’s doing fine, by the way.”

The voice, neutral and level, snatched Eve out of whatever spiralling thought had been occupying her consciousness at that moment. Eve’s eyes snapped up and were met by Jess’, which held an incredibly calming and caring energy behind them.

Eve looked, to put it in politer terms, fucking miserable. Her eyes had lost their bright energy, the sunken bags underneath only emphasising how hollow and empty they were. Her body slouched, crooked and tired. Her voice, when it made a rare appearance, was void of any emotion. It was monotonous, along with her movements. Her hugs didn’t contain the same tenderness they did before, her smile was only there because people expected it to be there.

“Oh, s’good.” Eve mumbled back, taking a sip of her coffee in a meagre attempt to make herself feel a little more awake. Though, she was pretty sure she’d abused caffeine to the point of no longer feeling its effects.

Eve hadn’t wanted to come out, usually opting to not leave the house unless she had to. Unfortunately, Jess had caught her while she was on her way home from work and coerced her into going for a coffee. She said it was a ‘catch up’, Eve knew it was a lie. She knew Jess was just concerned.

“We chose the name Alex, thought it suited pretty well.” Jess explained, attempting to carry on a non-existent conversation with little response from Eve.

“Is there something going on?” Eve figured Jess wouldn’t need much small talk before she felt comfortable enough to get to the main point. “You know you can tell me, if there is something happening. Is it the new job? Niko?”

Eve shook her head, barely able to focus on the words enough to dream up a response. Somewhere between her exhausted state and unstable emotional and mental health, it had caused her to lose her concentration many weeks prior. “Job’s fine. Haven’t seen Niko since before Rome.”

Jess just nodded at the response, managing a little more information than she previously expected to get. She decided go in further. “Is it… Her?”

Her. It wasn’t even her name, but it was enough to send chills through her scanty build. Eve’s eyes lifted, now coated with a film of tears. It gave Jess all the answer she needed.

“What’s happened, Eve? Did she do something to you? Has she seen you since you got back?” Jess reached for her hand, Eve jerked it away uncharacteristically.

“S’nothing. Don’t worry ‘bout it.” Eve’s words were practically slurred together at this point, her body so tired it had almost reached the point of not being able to function.

“Eve,” Her name left Jess’ mouth with such apprehension and concern attached to it, it almost shocked her. Everyone had been so hesitant and cold towards her as of late because of how hard she was struggling, she forgot people other than Villanelle could care about her.

“This isn’t nothing to worry about. You’re clearly not well, you look like you haven’t slept in a year, and you’ve gotten so skinny.” A hand tried for Eve’s again, which she retracted from the touch. “Can you tell me what’s happening?”

The offer was so tempting. Someone to unload all the baggage and tension onto, but she couldn’t risk it. She could feed it back to Carolyn. And this whole experience had taught her to trust no one and never take anything at face value. “I’d rather not.”

“You can’t keep doing this, Eve. You’re deteriorating, you’re basically slipping away.” Jess tried again, the same concern present between the words as they left her lips.

“Maybe I should just slip away.” She mumbled lowly, mostly to herself.

“Eve,” Jess’ tone switched, a strong edge of sternness now present with Eve’s name.

“What? It’s true.” Eve told her severely, forcing a bitter laugh. “I should have gone in the ruins, just fucking gone. I don’t wanna be here anymore.” By now, her voice was raised and people were beginning to glance over.

“Eve!” Jess tried, glancing around awkwardly as the people continued to stare. “You’re not continuing like this. If this is how you feel, I’m making you see a doctor. I’m worried for your safety.”

“You’re not the only one,” Eve grumbled, arms folding across her chest as she suddenly became very aware of how heavy her eyelids were.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jess asked, watching as Eve just turned her head away in response.

“It means I’m scared, Jess!” Eve’s voice was a full shout by now, garnering the attention of just about everyone in the vicinity of their table. That was hard for her to admit aloud. She’d been under the guise of if she didn’t admit it, it wasn’t real.

“Eve,” This time, her tone was gentle and comforting, hurt visible on her face as she saw tears spill over Eve’s eyes. “Come on.” She told her, winding an arm around Eve’s middle to guide her outside, away from the onlookers. At the contact, a sob escaped Eve’s lips.

As they got outside, Jess just pulled Eve into a hug without a word. Eve hesitated against the contact for a moment before melting into the woman, another sob convulsing through her body.

Eve didn’t hold back. She couldn’t take it anymore. The stress she had been carrying with her for months unloaded all at once. Her eyes were so full of tears she feared they’d never stop. Her body quivered as her hands weakly grabbed at Jess’ jacket.

“I-I’m sorry.” Eve cried, burying her face in Jess’ shoulder in an attempt to hide from the thoughts scattered through her mind. The thoughts of Villanelle and what had happened.

“It’s okay. You need this.” Jess told her, a hand rubbing up and down Eve’s back comfortingly. God, how did this woman know her so well?

Eve felt all the emotions she had attempted to subdue rise to the surface. The pure terror at the thought of what could have happened to Villanelle, the guilt knowing this was because of her, the anxiety of who could come after her, the stress of constantly being on her guard, the longing for an impossible touch.

She just cried, hard enough to make her throat feel raw and her eyes sting. It was exhaustingly overwhelming after two solid months of trying to feel as little as possible.

“You’ll be okay.” Jess muttered, feeling Eve pull away after what seemed like hours to Eve. Having to live through all those emotions was so draining, it seemed to drag on for years.

Eve’s hands found their way up to her eyes, rubbing hard to clear the film of tears left on her eyes. “Fuck,” She mumbled quietly, looking up to see a smile laced with concern across Jess’ face. “I’m sorry.” She tried again.

“It’s okay. Like I said, you seemed like you needed it.” Jess told her, looking her over. “You can’t keep going on as you are. If you don’t start to take care of yourself, I will absolutely march you to get professional help. Okay?”

Eve nodded at that. It was strange, having someone in her life with the perfect balance of comforting and firm traits. Maybe Jess was really born to be a mother.

A nod came from Eve in response. “I could probably do with some alone time.”

“I get that.” Jess told her, flashing another smile in Eve’s direction. “You have my number. Let me know if you need anything, alright?”

Eve knew she should stay outside a little longer. She’d isolated herself at her flat for so long, she forgot how good it felt to be outside by choice.

Despite all this, it had been a long day. She hadn’t been sleeping well anyway, too worried in case she missed something on the microphone, but her breakdown had made it worse.

Eve made it home about twenty minutes later, throwing down her bag before she headed straight for the bedroom. She changed hastily into some clean pyjamas before slipping under the duvet of her bed. The thick material would do to replace the absent arms around her midsection.

For a moment, Eve just stopped. Eyes to the ceiling and heart beginning to crack, she allowed herself to just feel. She'd spent so long running from her emotions, she had forgotten what it felt like to just let it happen.

Her emotions she could handle, marginally. Her thoughts, however, were a different story. Her mind was bombarded with intrusive thoughts about Villanelle and what had happened to her. The sound of Villanelle being hurt played on a loop in her head, visualising exactly how she would have looked and what could have been done to her.

How the blood would run down her face from her split lip. How the pain radiating through her muscles would feel on her tired body. How weak and small she might have felt, even if she didn't intend to feel it, as she was overpowered by someone. How scared she could have been, if she felt that.

Eve's eyes were full of tears again. She buried her face in her hands as another sob bounced from the walls of the apartment. The worst part for Eve was knowing Villanelle was in trouble, and there was nothing she could do. She just had to deal with the suspense and ho _pe._ She felt useless. Villanelle was in this situation because she was protecting Eve. Now she needed the help, Eve couldn't even do anything.

The emotions and thoughts began to calm and Eve felt her breathing began to regulate again, though her body was still trembling. She brought a hand up to wipe her eyes.

_Eve?_

The voice was sudden, shocking Eve. Just as she thought she was settled in her mind and body, something came crashing in to correct her. She sat up on the bed.

_It's okay. I’m here._

More tears formed. She registered the tone, weary and pained, and the short puffs that accompanied it suggested she was out of breath.

_We need to talk. It’s not good, Eve._


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and plane tickets to Brazil can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both
> 
> Also thank you for putting up with my breakdown in the last chapter. I didn't expect to get so much lovely feedback, but I really appreciate how much you've all become invested in my little story sdfvfwefgrr enjoy!

_It’s really not good. They know it’s me, Evie._

The threatening tears had now spilled. God, the nickname really did things to her.

_They know it’s me that’s been taking out their men. They took me and they-_

A sudden pause, almost like something physically stopped the words in her throat.

_It doesn’t matter. I got out._

The voice was flat, void of emotion. Villanelle didn’t want to feel.

_I need to lay low for a while, let them think they’ve won and then take the rest of them out in one fell swoop quickly as possible. The Twelve are unpredictable, but they generally know when they’ve been beaten._

_If a team gets taken out, they’re not usually eager to replace them just to have it happen again. They’re strong, but not stupid. If you can get past them once, you can do it again. They know that._

Eve tried to take in the information, trying to put together the last pieces of their puzzle, but she focused in more on the voice blanketing the words as opposed to the words themselves.

_We can keep on the move if we have to, it might be wise that we do. But we can finally leave fo-_

She cut herself off again. There was a pause.

_Fuck, what am I doing?_

The voice was pained. Eve’s bruised heart felt a new burn.

_I’m talking to myself._

She said it like it was a realisation. Eve wanted to scream, to be able to tell her that she wasn’t alone. It was the only emotion or signal she could interpret from her body at this point. Everything blurred into one for Eve, but she felt the ache to reach out to Villanelle in her core.

_You probably still hate me, you probably think I shot you for all the wrong reasons. Or they probably got to you when they took me. That was their plan, after all. Take me out and then get to you while you’re exposed._

Suddenly, everything became a lot more real to Eve. The world seemed brighter and harsher as the reality set back in that Eve was in genuine danger.

_If you’re there, Eve, I need to tell you everything. Whether it’s safe or not, I have to while I have the chance to._

Eve braced. She wasn’t ready for this.

_It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I wanted to take you away, it’s far easier to outrun the Twelve until they realise it’s not worth the effort than take them out. You remember when I told you that I went through Peel’s computer and that’s where I found their plan? And when I found that Konstantin had dubbed you in?_

Her mind was thrown back to the conversation and how desperate she was at the time for answers, to be able to piece everything together. Now, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know or remain blissfully ignorant.

_When I left his computer room, I managed to steal a phone from one of the maids and made the arrangements. I set up the cabin for us, set up flights, I called a contact I had in Italy who owed me a favour to get us fake passports. I got it all ready for us to leave as soon as I took out Peel._

There was another pause.

_It didn’t go to plan. You kept wanting to go back to the hotel, I knew we had to get out of their as soon as possible, but I couldn’t tell you that or tell you why._

_Like I said, if the Twelve know they’ve been compromised, they go in all guns blazing and just deal with it. It’s why I kept trying to convince you to just leave. Tried to tell you that none of it mattered, I was trying to warn you._

Eve’s mind was in a complete daze. Looking back on it, everything made so much more sense. She was warning her and she never even picked up on it. Her mind went back to their conversation as Eve went back to the hotel.

‘Eve it’s too late, we need to go, leave that stuff.’

‘It’s not safe to go back, you know that.’

‘None of it means anything. It doesn’t matter anymore.’

She mistook the words for carelessness. For selfishness, thinking Villanelle just wanted to leave so she could be done with the ordeal. She wanted to leave to keep Eve safe. She thought back to the words.

‘You think you’d be fine without me? You’d be dead within five minutes.’

Her blood ran cold. A warning. They couldn’t split up, Eve couldn’t just go back to the hotel while Villanelle left. It probably explained why she compromised.

‘I will find us a car, I will be parked outside the hotel in five minutes.’

Villanelle didn’t compromise. She should have picked up on that. All this new information was devastating to Eve. She’d got it so wrong. What else had she gotten wrong?

‘If you see anything scary, just leave, okay? Don’t be brave.’

Her final attempt at a warning. The thoughts broke at the words in her ear.

_It was supposed to be simple. Take out Peel, leave with you, and keep the Twelve off our backs until they gave up. That’s why I had to… Y’know, in the ruins._

Reality came crashing back in again. Eve had been shot, it wasn’t something she had taken lightly until this point.

_I know you were upset that I made you take out Raymond. There was just… Something Konstantin said that made me need to prove that you could handle dealing with going on the run. I don’t know if I was proving it to you or to myself._

_I wanted to prove that you’d be okay, that I’m not the only strong one and that you can protect yourself and me too. When I found the files on Peel computer, I was worried you didn’t think you’d be able to handle it. And Konstantin played on those worries, so it’s why I kept bringing it up._

More words flashed through Eve’s memory. It shook Eve to her core how little her reality was actually true, how everything she thought she knew could turn out to be lies and how everything said between them seemed to take on a double meaning.

‘Because you wanted to save me. And you did.’

‘We’re safe now. You made us safe.’

‘We can look after ourselves now, can’t we?’

_Running away together would be a big step, especially with the amount of danger we were going to be in. I thought, if you knew you could handle it, it would make leaving with me easier for you. I got that really wrong._

Eve let out a bitter laugh at the words. Villanelle didn’t get it wrong, Eve had gotten everything mixed up. It was because of her that Villanelle was having to take out an entire team of people.

_And that’s when the ruins happened._


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and tissues can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both

“What do you want for dinner?”

The words didn’t seem real. The events of the day had Villanelle doubting whether they could actually get their happy ending. Nothing went to plan, they exposed themselves to more danger and Villanelle couldn’t tell Eve why they had to leave.

She had been forced to follow Eve’s lead and pick up the pieces afterwards. It was stressful. Very different to working with another field agent who wouldn’t listen. There were no emotional ties, unlike with Eve.

Villanelle had seen Eve’s full potential come to fruition. She’d drawn out the dark temperament that she knew Eve kept locked away. It was beautiful, in a strange way.

People would normally think of sex as being completely bare, vulnerable and exposed to another person. With Villanelle, this was her seeing Eve completely bare. Stripped of all intuition, all notions of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’.

Eve granted access to the truest form of herself. Not one that would push thoughts or actions aside for the sake of societal standards, but the darkened thoughts that built and told Eve to do anything for the sake of survival.

And Villanelle wanted to love her like that. She wanted to love every part of Eve, even the parts Eve didn’t love or acknowledge herself.

“Dinner?” The voice was still dazed, reeling from the reality of what happened. She tried to tie her thoughts together, only for them to disperse further in Eve’s anguish.

“Mm! Tonight I could make dinner.” The voice, light and bright, glided to Eve over the cool air of the ruins. She was excited. They could finally get their happy ending.

“Oh. Spaghetti?” A gleeful laugh followed from Villanelle.

“Good idea.” There was a brief pause. It was time, opting to play it off like it hadn’t all been planned prior.

“I was thinking we should go to Alaska. Have you seen pictures? It’s so amazing. We could, uh, get a cabin, nobody would bother us there. We’d be normal. And I-I have money, so you-you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Okay.” The word was blunt and forced, making it evident Eve was really struggling to be present in the moment.

Villanelle turned, the concern evident on her face. A few steps closed the gap between them before she took Eve’s arm. “You’ll feel better soon.” A shy grip appeared on Villanelle’s face, only widening as she spoke. “I’ll look after you. It’s going to be amazing.”

She stumbled towards one of the exits. “Come on!” The pure joy Villanelle felt radiate across her face as she walked away was something rather new to her. As she thought hope was gone, just as she thought they had been bested, they came out the other side as one.

Eve just followed. What else could she do? She barely had any autonomy left over her body, she felt on the verge of not being able to function. All while she thought Villanelle was blissfully unaware of exactly how much she was struggling.

They wandered for a moment, taking in their surroundings as well as how nonthreatening and plain they were, relishing in the safety. They were safe. They were going to be okay. 

Or so Villanelle thought.

“You have a gun.”

The realisation came crashing over Villanelle. “Yeah.”

“Since when?”

“Doesn’t matter.” The reply was sheepish. She began to walk away.

“Why didn’t you-“

“Hm?”

“Why didn’t you shoot Raymond?” Eve’s voice was beginning to show come colour, the emotion now bleeding back through between the words.

“You had it under control.” The excuse was weak. She knew it was, but she was so exhausted from running and fighting that she couldn’t muster up anything else.

“No, I-“ Eve’s voice cut out. There was a lengthy pause between the two, during which, no words were needed. Villanelle could see the realisation run through onto Eve’s face as she pieced it together. “You wanted me to do it.”

There was a huff and Eve turned away. Another pause sat heavy in the air as Villanelle tried to assess how to get them out of this. She couldn’t lose this now, she had gotten so close.

“I wanted you to know how it feels.” Villanelle knew there was a part of Eve that enjoyed it, she saw it in her eyes. The same subtle glimmer present in her own during a kill. She just hoped she could access that part of Eve. “How did it feel?”

Villanelle was walking behind Eve while there was another pause. “Wet.” The response caused Villanelle to giggle. It wasn’t conventional, but she understood.

She stilled herself and looked over Eve. “I’m proud of you.”

Eve turned to face Villanelle, revealing a look of utter disbelief. “Proud?”

“Yes! We’re safe now, you made us safe.” She began to approach the woman, her voice remaining cool despite her anxieties rising that she could lose Eve over this.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, after today, people will be angry.” The words became a whisper. It was a warning, people were out for her and for Eve. Despite their isolation and seemingly bleak appearance, she couldn’t be sure that the ruins weren’t bugged.

She still couldn’t tell her. It was different if they knew about the cabin, they could keep on the move. However, as soon as they know Eve’s been compromised, it’s over. “But, we can look after ourselves now, can’t we?”

“I’m going home.”

The words hit Villanelle square in the chest, enough of a blow to momentarily distract from Eve rejecting Villanelle’s affections.

Villanelle just watched as Eve began to remove herself from the situation, heading away from the taller woman. “What?”

“I’ve got to go home.”

A nervous laugh preceded the words. “Eve, you can’t go home.”

“Yes, I can.” She spat bitterly, defiantly. She needed some control back. Eve expected such a thing from Carolyn, but from Villanelle? Who she had grown to trust?

Who was she kidding? She should have seen it coming.

“We need to talk.” Not here, not now. But, she’d tell Eve everything when she could.

“No.”

Silence as Villanelle trod towards Eve. “You’re ruining the moment.” Another weak rebuttal, but she had to try.

“What do you think is happening here?” Eve was clearly hurt, as was Villanelle. She had gone through so much to keep the woman safe, why wouldn’t she trust her when she said Eve couldn’t just go home?

A few deep breaths to compose herself and she tried again, a false smile spreading across her face as she approached Eve. “What? I think w-“ Her hand came up to Eve’s face, only to be batted away.

“You think we’d be what? Bonnie and Clyde? Just go on a killing spree, cut a few throats-“

“Stop it!”

“You want me to be a mess! You want me to be scared!” Their eyes met. The anger was present on Villanelle’s face again, making no attempt to hide it now.

“But I’m like you now.” The words, vaguely threatening, lingered in the air as Eve began to step towards Villanelle, forcing the woman to step back. “I’m not afraid of anything... This is what you wanted-”

“This is what you wanted!” She knew it was, Villanelle could feel it. They were the same. Eve just wanted an opportunity to let it out. Her voice dropped to a whisper after a couple of deep breaths to suppress the anger. “This is what you wanted.”

Her hand came up to caress Eve’s cheek as she leaned in, only to be rejected. The rejection hurt. It hit deep and it stung hard. With anyone else, Villanelle wouldn’t have cared.

Villanelle just watched as Eve stepped away. “No, Eve.” She was pleading. She couldn’t fight anymore, but she couldn’t risk telling her either. “Eve wait, w-why’re you being like this?” Maybe it was an emotion Villanelle didn’t understand, maybe Eve just didn’t get it. It didn’t matter, she was running out of options.

“You love me.” She tried, playing on her emotions.

“No.”

“I love you.”

“No.”

“I do.” It hurt Villanelle to use those words. It hurt to hear Eve reject her. She wanted the first time she told Eve to be special, not an attempt to persuade her away from danger.

“You don’t understand what that is.”

“I do.” For Villanelle, love was selflessness. Love was putting yourself in harm’s way to protect those important to you without any acknowledgement of your sacrifices. Eve couldn’t see that.

She had gotten so close to keeping Eve safe and she had to watch it slip right between her fingers. She was panicking. She couldn’t let the Twelve have her.

“You’re mine.”

“No.”

“You are, you’re mine!” She didn’t mean to shout. She didn’t even realise what the sentiment came off as until she said it. She was overwhelmed, overworked, and she had to watch as the thing she needed most walked right out into the line of fire.

“Eve?!” By now, her voice was just pained. She made no attempt to hide it anymore, she didn’t have the energy.

“I thought you were special.” She always had good intentions, even when it came to what happened with Anna. She thought Eve might be able to see that.

“Sorry to disappoint.” Eve stepped away.

The anxiety rose further, causing Villanelle's chest to feel hollow and full at the same time. She couldn’t let this happen. Eve was refusing to associate herself with Villanelle, she wouldn’t run with her. She knew, as soon as Eve left here alone, they'd have her.

She needed to do something. She needed a head start on Eve, to take out those in their immediate surroundings first.

She felt the weight of the gun in her hand. The breath caught in her throat. It was a crazy idea, but if she shot to disarm, not to kill, she could get ahead of Eve. Take out the agents in Rome, then move onto the rest. She had to do something, Eve was almost gone. She could figure out the details later.

The thought caused Villanelle to falter. This would be hard, even for her. She cast her mind back to how she would feel before she met Eve, the utter emptiness she suffered with in her body and soul rising to wash over her face. Her arm raised, though it didn’t feel like her own. She felt like a spectator in her own body.

A shot rang through the ruins.

She was on the ground.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and cryptic Spotify playlists which confess your feelings to someone can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both

_I needed a headstart on them. I couldn’t let you leave alone, but I couldn’t tell you why we had to stay together._

Eve was still. Everything was still.

She felt strange. It wasn’t numbness, it seemed closer to an unfilled, bleak nothingness. Numb was a feeling. Eve wasn’t feeling.

The words in her ear no longer held meaning or sentiment, they were just sounds. The story Villanelle had reeled off about why she had to shoot Eve was already too much to comprehend, she had reached a point of being physically unable to take in any more information.

The stillness in the room broke when Eve’s arm moved up towards her ear, her movements monotonous and void of any sign of life. The words ceased.

She took out the earpiece and rested it on the bedside table.

All she had been left with was the familiar faint humming as Villanelle’s words blasted out into nothing, unheard.

Eve had so much to process, so much to think through. She knew how she should be feeling. Confused, distressed, bewildered, something even stronger maybe?

But, she couldn’t. Her body had gone into shock.

Eve sat, eyes vacantly staring off into the immediate distance of her apartment.

She couldn’t decide what was worse.

The unwavering, heavy anxiety that plagued her in everything she undertook. The nagging sense of danger knowing that one wrong move could bring everything crashing down and leave her and this fantasy she had been chasing so urgently shattered to irreparable pieces.

Or, having every emotion torn away from her. Hearing something she knew should leave her devastated, but with no idea of how to feel it anymore. Questioning everything she had and did feel about Villanelle and what had happened between them.

The faint humming from the earpiece continued.

She knew, at any other point, she’d be jumping at the chance to hear Villanelle speak, especially after so long.

That she’d normally feel the panic begin to rise and take over her being in case Villanelle were to warn her about something, or explain more of this mess to her.

In that moment, she just didn’t have the emotional capacity to comprehend it.

She didn’t know what to do, so she didn’t.

She remained on her bed for hours, until 4am. Where those hours went, what they were consumed with, she couldn’t tell you. There were no emotions, no actions. Any thoughts that intruded her bareness were quickly dismissed. For those hours, Eve just existed.

She wanted to cry, to free the feelings that she knew were building, even if she couldn’t recognise that they were there. She wanted to react, she felt a sense of entitlement to be able to respond the way she knew she should.

She just wanted to feel. She couldn’t.

The next thing she knew, her 6am alarm rang. At some point, she had fallen asleep.

She called in sick. They didn’t question it. They didn’t need to, they had all seen the state Eve had worked herself into. She fell back to sleep before the persistent nothingness became too overbearing for her to ignore.

Eve stirred eventually. It was still dark, her eyes flicked to the clock on the bedside table which blinked a bold red 8:38pm.

Eve attempted for a moment to count how many hours she’d been sleeping, but deemed it unimportant after a brief thought, settling on 'more than normal'. Two months of not really sleeping will do that to a person, so she wasn’t surprised.

Sitting up, she realised she was feeling a little more human. Anything she could recognise as an emotion was muted and subtle, but it was there. A soft grin broke out at the mere ability of being able to feel.

She rose from her bed and moved through to her kitchen. After a moment, she returned with a glass of water and some reheated leftovers from the other night, finally beginning to notice an appetite returning.

The TV flicked on and a fork tore its way through whatever Eve had fished out of the fridge. She sat back, eyes attentive to the screen. Nothing was normal, but she could pretend like it was.

And it was normal, for an hour or two at least. She ate, watched whichever reality show was being pushed at the time, scrolled through a few various social media outlets, she even managed to text Jess to thank her for making sure she was okay.

But, Eve had learned by now, nothing stayed normal for long.

The quiet mumbles radiated from the bedside table. Eve didn’t look, almost under some guise that it couldn’t hurt her, it would be real, if she didn’t see it.

The normality faded as quickly as it appeared, especially as Eve realised there had been a lot more information she had missed after she took the earpiece out.

She felt anxious, though not as much as she normally would. It wasn’t as jabbing and abrasive as normal, it seemed more subdued and didn’t force its way to the front of Eve’s mind.

Eve took a few moments to sit and think, trying her best to control her thoughts. She needed to be rational, she couldn’t let her thoughts race or spiral.

She had already missed so much, could she even piece everything together anymore? Or should she try and play catch up?

She and everyone around her had seen how much it had destroyed her when something went wrong, when Villanelle was absent for a prolonged period of time, when she found out something that crushed her worldview. Could she really handle anymore?

Eve sat like this for twenty minutes, lost purely in thought. Nothing made sense, nothing seemed like the ‘better’ option.

Laying back on the bed, Eve’s eyes finally fixed on the piece of equipment. The way she felt its presence made her feel like it was watching her, so she decided to watch back.

The voice disappeared from the earpiece, her heart sank. There was her answer.

It took a couple more moments, but the muffled speech returned.

She didn’t think, she’d doubt herself if she did. Her arm reached out and picked up the earpiece, lodging it back into her ear.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat
> 
> Follows, tweets, and Arctic Monkeys albums can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both
> 
> I am SO SORRY it’s taken me so long to update, I’ve had a lot of irl stuff happening and top it all off, my laptop is now broken (fuck you, Mercury)
> 
> Special shoutout to Tabby and My Portuguese for bugging me and kicking my butt into finally writing another chapter

The earpiece returned to its usual place in Eve’s ear. She’d managed to catch Villanelle mid sentence.

 

_...But it couldn’t be helped, or so I keep telling myself. It doesn’t matter, I’ll have intel on him soon. _

 

The voice was a relief to Eve, especially since Villanelle had acknowledged Eve might not be there and it was clearly beginning to jab at her mentality.

 

_ Once I find the bastard, I’m gonna mail his mother a bag of his teeth. _

 

Eve absolutely should not have taken so much comfort in those words, nor the thuggish tone that accompanied them. Yet, here she was. Her emotional state was somewhere between feeling everything and feeling nothing, all colliding at once as the words kept hitting her. It was an interesting experience for Eve, but she was almost too tired to care.

 

_ I hate admin shit. Planning this stuff is only fun to a certain extent. _

 

The tone of Villanelle’s voice wasn’t the same as normal. The tedious monotony of ‘admin shit’ wasn’t bringing out the boredom in the same way it usually did. Instead, there was a new sharpness to her words. They were quick and light against her tongue, with hints of aggression present, but not overtly so. It seemed a mix between intense focus and fury.

 

The earpiece was silent for a moment, causing the room to fall still. Eve took solace in the rustling of papers and objects on the other end of the line. Villanelle was there. She was okay.

 

_ God, this is a pain in the ass. _

 

A groan, proceeded by another moment of silence.

 

_ I’m struggling to get the moment right. It needs to be where they’re all close enough to each other that I can take them out at once. That way, there won’t be time for The Twelve to find out someone’s taking out their operatives again and send them after me. They won’t send people from other task forces, it’s just not how they work. They’ll send the people I’m after, this team. So, I just have to get to them first. If that makes sense? _

 

Eve went to respond. It surprised her, but she had to admit she was more surprised by the fact she hadn’t tried to talk back earlier.

 

_ There’s, uh... Seventeen left, I think? I might be able to take a few out on the down-low beforehand, but the majority will have to be dealt with all at once to avoid suspicion. _

 

Eve finally dragged herself to sit up on the bed, taking a sip of water. 

 

_ I think I’ll have a window of about two days before The Twelve get wind of what’s happening. Three, at a push. Then, I come back, try to find you, then go back to trying to lay low in Alaska until we’re sure The Twelve have actually given up on you. _

 

There was another pause. Eve listened intently to the rustling at the other end of the line as she laid back down on the bed. The duvet fell around her in a way where Eve could fool herself into thinking the weight was another presence. Eyes slipping closed with ease, Eve curled into herself and felt her consciousness begin to slip. She shouldn’t have been this tired, given how much she had just slept. The noise in the earpiece stopped momentarily.

 

_ Fuck, _

 

The word was pained, followed by a few uneasy breaths.

 

_ I can’t do this anymore. _

 

The microphone clicked off.

 

Eve’s heart sank. The words curled around her mind like thorns against her skin. The pain in her voice, more than Eve ever thought Villanelle was capable of possessing, stung at her.

 

Her face met the softness of the pillow beneath her. Eve just cried. Eve was helpless. She begged for everything to be over. The same unwavering devastation that had always been present when her emotions rolled out of her wasn’t there anymore. Her cries were soft and weak, her body limp. She was tired of fighting, she didn’t have the energy to feel in her full capacity anymore.

 

The cries softened some time later. Eve didn’t sleep, despite wanting to. She wasn’t sure why, she wanted to sleep, but it didn’t feel right. Something told her not to.

 

She spent the next hour lost in thought. Thoughts of what, she wasn’t sure. It was somewhere between how to go on, if she could go on, and fantasising about this normal life she once possessed and took completely for granted.

 

_ Eve? _

 

The voice interrupted her mindless thinking. In that moment, when she heard Villanelle’s voice, she knew she’d choose this. Despite the heartbreak and anxiety, despite her thoughts telling her to just walk away and break it all off like nothing had happened, none of it mattered as soon as Villanelle came back. As soon as she heard that voice. She remembered why everything they were both going through was worth it.

 

_ I, uh... I need you to do something for me. _

 

Eve’s focus fully shifted to the words, her mind suddenly clear of any doubt or lingering image that had taken up the space previously. She could help, she could do something for Villanelle.

 

_ I can’t take not knowing anymore, Eve. I thought I’d rather have blissful ignorance, but it’s getting to me. I can’t deal with the thoughts telling me no one is there and this is all for nothing. I need to know. _

 

By now, Eve’s heart felt like it was about to beat out of her chest. Her surroundings became almost non-existent, the only thing there was the voice.

 

_ I managed to swipe a phone from a stranger. I think I’ve probably got about two hours before I’ll need to wipe it and get rid of it to avoid being traced. _

 

Eve didn’t know where Villanelle was going with this, but her first instinct was to grab her own phone. The screen lit up, but to an absence of any interaction.

 

_ If you’re listening, take my number and just.. Text me. Say something, just let me know there’s someone on the end of this line. _

 

Villanelle spoke softly, but with clear anxiety present in her voice. Eve knew she was scared. Worried that this reality she had built was about to be destroyed and her worst nightmares realised. Following her words with a sting of numbers, Eve hastily entered them into her phone. She didn’t stop to think of what to say, she just needed to say something.

 

I’m here. Come home. E


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and the blood of my enemies can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both
> 
> GUESS WHO'S BACK, BINCHES?!  
> I finally have a working laptop! And a lot of my irl drama has died down, which means this show can get back on the road to more regular uploads! Thank you for being patient with me, I appreciate it, and I hope you enjoy!

Suspense hung heavy in the air. The silence was all-consuming, intruding into every inch of space within the crooked, worn-down hotel room Villanelle had been based out of for the past week.

The pacing over the creaking floorboards ceased as Villanelle’s body stilled, sinking down onto the edge of the bed. There was an uneasy pause as the words caught in her throat. Eyes slipping shut, she mustered any tired energy she could find to force the words past this barrier, this part of her that wasn’t ready to know the truth.

“If you’re listening, take my number and just... Text me. Say something, just let me know there’s someone on the end of this line.”

Her eyes, undisturbed by the anxiety in her voice, darted to the number lit brightly on the screen and proceeded to recite the digits. Upon reaching the last number, she locked the phone and fixed her eyes on the darkness of the glass.

What was less than thirty seconds seemed like a lifetime to Villanelle. She could hope, she did hope, but the voice in the back of her mind telling her that she wasn’t going to hear back only strengthened with every passing second.

It taunted her, overwhelmed her, jabbed at her every insecurity that Eve wasn’t there and wouldn’t want her and didn’t care-

_I’m here. Come home. E_

The voice stopped; sudden clarity hit Villanelle hard enough to throw her off balance. The torments lifted, along with the anxieties and insecurities Villanelle had been baring the weight of for so long she had forgotten how free it felt to exist without them. A burden had been lifted.

Eve, her Eve, was there.

Her eyes wandered over the four simple words repeatedly, barely having the chance to grasp at what they meant yet. To her, they were just confirmation. Reassurance that her worst nightmare wasn’t true.

Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes welled. Someone was there.

“Oh,” She breathed eventually, the text having knocked all the air out of her lungs. Her voice was soft and fragile as she spoke, any word that left her mouth seemingly breakable. “Evie.”

_Let me call you. E_

A pause, her body ached to allow herself to fall, to take what she knew she had been pining after for so long. But she couldn’t. Not yet.

“No, you shouldn’t.” She mumbled, wiping away the tears threatening to spill over. “If they intercept this phone, they’ll only get half a conversation in this way.”

There was a pause before the next text illuminated the device in Villanelle’s trembling hands.

_Come home. Please, we can figure something out together. Just come home. E_

Home. The word stuck with her.

“I really can’t, Eve. It’s too dangerous.” She spoke, beginning to feel the distance tug at her. “Are you okay? Are you hurt or anything?”

_No, I’m not hurt. I’m perfectly fine. E_

A small wave of relief hit Villanelle, causing her body to relax as she moved to lay down on the bed. “Good, that’s good. What’s going on with you? Are you back at home?”

_No, I got a flat to myself after I got another job. I haven’t been living here long. E_

Images flooded Villanelle’s mind. Eve stood in a space they could have been sharing had things just gone to plan. “Okay. Eve, I need you to keep on the move, alright? Keep an overnight bag packed in case you need to make a quick exit.”

Villanelle began to feel more at ease, knowing she could instruct Eve on how to keep herself safe. Up until now, it had just been Villanelle. Eve had been completely vulnerable. “I’d give it a few more weeks before you need to move and get into another apartment. Stay in hotels if you can and pay in cash. Don’t leave a paper trail. If you need money, I can send you some.” There was a pause. “How are you? Like, in yourself. How have you been?”

_I’ve been okay. E_

Her face tensed at the words, unsure as to whether she believed it. Before she could object, the phone lit up again.

_How have you been? E_

Villanelle couldn’t help but laugh a little at the question.

“I mean, I’m sure you know. You’ve been listening in.” She replied, before it dawned on her. “How long have you been listening? Have been listening since Rome?”

_No, it was about three weeks after Rome, I think. I went to MI6 to get my stuff and that’s when I found the earpiece. You had just found out Konstantin was their informant, but you didn’t explain it at that point. E_

With a soft gasp, Villanelle sat up. “Shit, yeah you haven’t heard everything. Are there any parts you’re missing? Do you need me to explain anything?”

_No, I think I managed to piece the story together from the information I got since then. It’s a big mess and The Twelve are coming to kill me. E_

Villanelle’s brow furrowed at the message. “Wait, what?”

There was a pause.

_Yeah, I figured it out from what you’d been saying. The Twelve have set up a team to kill me and you’ve been keeping them away. It’s fine, I know what’s going on. E_

Another pause, eyes blinking at the message.

“Eve, I don’t think you do.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and bowls of ramen can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both

“Listen, it’s finished.” Konstantin said it so matter-of-factly it threw Villanelle off momentarily. He still thought Villanelle didn’t know the reality of what was going on, he thought he could save her. “Get in the car and go.”

Villanelle reached a hand out to take the keys as they were offered. “I’m risking a lot to save your ass here.” Konstantin commented.

“To save me from what?” Villanelle questioned, feigning ignorance followed by a thoughtful pause.

“From them. From Raymond.”

Villanelle smirked, speaking in the same matter-of-fact tone Konstantin had tried to flaunt earlier. “Raymond doesn’t know I’m here; he didn’t see me.”

A laugh erupted from Konstantin, forceful in nature. “What?” Villanelle questioned.

“He knows you here, believe me.” Villanelle wasn’t buying it; he’d lied about too much already. He was trying to scare her, to keep her away from Eve. He must have been.

“If he knows I’m here, then why didn’t he kill me already?”

The sternness had returned to Konstantin’s face by this point. “Because someone asked him not to... Someone asked him not to until after you’d killed Peel.”

Confusion washed over Villanelle’s face. “What do you mean? They told me not to kill him, you told me not to kill him!” The confusion subtly transitioned into disbelief as Villanelle released a tired sigh, trying to process the revelation. She’d been tricked. And it stung.

Konstantin looked down uncomfortably. As stoic and cold as he was, he didn’t like hurting Villanelle. “It was not my idea.”

“Wow,” the exclamation was so quiet it was almost breathed out as nothing. A smile appeared across Villanelle’s face, a reaction to the disbelief she’d been dealt so severely. “It never is.”

Konstantin’s sad eyes had found their way back up to the woman. “I warned you. You should have listened.”

“I thought we were friends.” Her head shook a little.

“We are. But… We’re not family.”

Another realisation clicked for Villanelle. “Is that what Carolyn is giving you, your family?”

A nod, followed by a voiceless ‘yes’, only recognisable by the pattern of movement of his lips.

“You choose your family over me?”

“That’s what families are. It’s what they do” The man replied, bitterness making itself apparent on Villanelle’s face.

“I wouldn’t know, mine are all dead.” The declaration was barely above a whisper and followed by an awkward expression directed at Konstantin.

“Most of them, sure.” Villanelle didn’t have the time or energy to decode for the cryptic reply. “What do you mean most of them?”

“Are you leaving?”

“No,” The reply was instant. “Not without Eve.”

“What if she went with Carolyn already?”

Villanelle scoffed at the remark, seeing through his thinly veiled attempt at discouraging her from the woman. “She wouldn’t.”

Konstantin’s face twisted into something adjacent to uncomfortable, keeping his eyes focused on the woman. “What is it about her?”

Villanelle’s eyes flicked down, her face now loosening the tension as she dropped the smile. “We are the same.”

The words hit Konstantin and Villanelle saw the discomfort on his face intensify. He’d been found out. Villanelle could see his brain trying to figure out an escape route as he looked her over. “Are you sure?” Was all he could reply with.

“Yeah.” Villanelle responded, the smile returning to her face with a hint of smugness, knowing that Konstantin knew he had been figured out. His expression remained as he tried to think of something to say, but nothing came of it. With that, he just turned and walked away.

Her mind cast back to when she was in Peel’s computer room. The words rang in her ears.

_We are the same._

***

She clicked the file.

It brought up a simple case file, explaining who she was, who she worked for, and who her connections were, including her connection to Villanelle. She hoped, just for a second, they had just been monitoring her.

Maybe they wanted to make sure she didn’t recruit Villanelle to MI6, maybe it was all standard procedure. Their usual protocol when it came to a potential threat to their agents was to remove them as quick as possible, but maybe Villanelle was different. She was good, very good in fact. Probably the best the Twelve had. Maybe they didn't want to rock the boat.

She flicked through Eve’s case file, finding the usual information you’d expect on someone, nothing out of the ordinary. A small sense of relief began to settle.

When she reached the end of her case file, another report began. Villanelle’s heart was in her throat, expecting to reveal a file containing a plan to dispose of Eve as efficiently as possible.

Instead, a different title stood bold at the top of the page. _Recruitment File._

Cautiously, Villanelle read on.

It contained more details about Eve. About her physical appearance, her skill set, her history with MI6, among other things. There were pictures which had clearly been taken without Eve’s knowledge, as well as details of her routine and habits and an analysis of various skills and traits. It was eerily in-depth.

Villanelle knew The Twelve must have been observing her for some time in order to gather the sheer amount of information they had without making it obvious. But, why recruitment file? Eve couldn’t be working for The Twelve, Villanelle would be able to tell. Right?

The woman’s fingers dragged over the mouse pad as she scrolled further down. A new section and new header caught her attention: _References._

Eye’s scanned further down until a familiar detail caught Villanelle’s attention.

6200075\. Konstantin’s ID.

She read on from the number.

_6200075 is quoted as saying ‘I would strongly advice that Ms Polastri is brought in for training as soon as the agents are available to bring her in. She is not like other agents, such as 5500049.’_

Villanelle paused as she read her ID, brows furrowing. She continued.

_‘Ms Polastri is high functioning, to the point where she is unaware of her own abilities and potential in this field. She has subdued and suppressed them enough to fit in with society. However, in my opinion, she is on the same level in terms of psychopathic tendencies as 5500049. They are the same.’_

Villanelle’s breath caught in her throat at the last words. She had suspected her and Eve were similar in a couple of ways, but not to the degree that Konstantin was describing.

Her mind wandered momentarily. What a life they could have if they were on the same page, if Eve could be brought up to Villanelle’s level.

_‘I believe it would be a missed opportunity if Ms Polastri was not brought in for training as soon as possible. She can execute herself to be more typical and down-to-earth than agents such as 5500049, making her ideal for covert missions and delicate operations. If the organisation can bring out this side of her she is unaware that she has, she would be a valuable asset to any team.’_

Eyes drifted down to the next section and the header that laid underneath: _Team and Strategy._

Here, everything tied together.

It was a plan. A finite operation delicately laid out on paper detailing how they would bring in Eve in the most covert and unsuspecting way possible, leaving no witnesses while also attempting to cover her disappearance up. Just like when they had Villanelle fake her death when she first joined the organisation. It detailed how they would send someone to deal with Villanelle first, leaving Eve exposed.

Should that not work, they had agents lined up to go after her. All IDs of the team assigned to Eve were listed, though Villanelle only recognised a few of them.

Villanelle didn’t even register the implications for her in this plan, her focus was so heavily on Eve it took her a moment before she realised they were going to dispose of her. But it wasn’t important.

Everything stopped. There were no longer soft clatters coming from adjacent rooms, or generic noises of life outside. The plush cushioning of the chair couldn’t be felt beneath her, the wig on her head didn’t irritate her anymore. The only thing that would penetrate her brain were those words. And what they meant was going to happen.

“Oh my  _god_.”

They didn’t want to kill Eve. They wanted to recruit her.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and Christmas crackers can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both

“They want to WHAT?!”

The words were audible, but there wasn’t anyone around who could hear them.

Eve knew this, the shock just forced them past her lips and into existence.

Eve paused for a moment, attempting to process the story Villanelle had just relayed to her via the earpiece. There was an uncomfortable silence, only interrupted by rustling on the other end of the microphone.

_Eve? Are you okay?_

The words drew Eve away from her thoughts and ground her back down to earth. She stared at the phone in her hands for a moment. Their dialogue remained on the screen. She felt the desire to say something, she just didn’t know what.

Another moment of silence.

_Eve, say something. Please._

Finally, the fingers moved over the phone screen.

That can’t be right. You’re messing with me. Cut the bullshit, Villanelle. E

A sigh came from the other end of the line, not helping with the heavy sense of unease Eve felt.

_I wish I was. I’ve seen the files, I confirmed it with Konstantin when I spoke to him._

Eve felt that impending sense of doom cloud over her again. The overwhelming sensation that everything she knew wasn’t true.

She thought it was over. She thought everything made sense, she thought she had figured it out. She was wrong.

Aren’t I too

She paused as she wrote out the text. It didn’t make sense, but she couldn’t pinpoint how.

inexperienced? Old? Compromised? I did work for MI6 after all, how do they know I won’t feed all this back to them as a double agent? E

A small, breathy chuckle shot through on the microphone. It was somewhere between exhaustion and disbelief.

_None of that matters, Eve. The Twelve doesn’t believe in limits. They think if you have that something in you, they can mould you into whatever they want._

Just as Eve was about to ask, Villanelle continued.

_And, lets face it, you’re not exactly the most normal. Normal people don’t plan how they’re going to murder their husbands and get away with it in great detail. Nor do they almost push someone in front of a train, or that’s what it said in your file at least._

The words left Eve cold. No one knew about that except her and Niko. Was Niko compromised? It wouldn’t matter, they clearly had eyes everywhere to know about the train. God, there was no wonder Villanelle couldn’t risk telling Eve what was going on when they were still in Rome.

It left Eve back in that state of being hyper-aware of her surroundings. Whether she was at her most solitary and lonesome, or amongst a crowd of people, they were there. They were listening. What if they could hear her now? What if they had been listening this entire time?

How do you know they’re not listening now? E

There was a pause as Villanelle read the text, then further silence in the absence of an answer.

_Honestly, I don’t. I really shouldn’t be talking to you right now. You should get on the move as soon as possible. I think I managed to throw them off the trail as to where you were, but you never know. And they can’t know we’re in contact, they’ll just storm in and take you if they know you’ve been compromised._

Eve buried her face in her hands as she let her phone fall to the bed. The initial excitement and relief that came from talking to Villanelle had worn off, replaced with the heavy anxiety she had become so accustomed to.

_I’m so sorry you’re in this mess, Evie. I promise I’m trying my hardest to keep you safe._

Eve picked the phone back up as soon as the words hit.

I know! Thank you so much for making sure I’m safe without me even knowing. Thank you for protecting me. I only wish I could do the same for you. E

Eve laid back on the bed as there was another long pause, Eve could tell she wasn’t sure how to respond.

_Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll have to do the same for me at some point. I get myself into enough trouble after all. Besides, you took out Raymond for me._

There was another pause, this time a lot more awkward and tense. Villanelle was the first one to speak after that.

_I’m sorry about that, by the way. I just… I needed you to know that you could handle yourself. We were already in a lot of danger and we wouldn’t be in the clear if we did run away to Alaska. I needed you to know that you could make us safe, that it wasn’t just me looking out for the both of us. I just figured that you wouldn’t believe me telling you, you’d have to do something to prove it to yourself._

Eve had already opened the phone and begun typing while Villanelle was still speaking.

It’s okay. I’m over it at this point, so much other shit has happened that it’s kind of taken my mind off it. I’ll admit, it’s not exactly conventional, but it worked. E

Are you okay, though? Like, in complete seriousness? E

The heavy sigh that followed the question made Eve anxious.

_Yeah, I’m fine. Few cuts and bruises, you know how it goes._

Another silence followed. It wasn’t true.

That’s not it though, is it? You’ve been really badly hurt, haven’t you? And you’re tired. And it’s been weighing heavy on your mind and just completely mentally drained you, having to plan so much and be so careful. I’m not wrong, am I? E

The answer came quicker than it should have done. Eve knew Villanelle didn’t read the entire message, but she didn’t have to. And Eve didn’t even need a reply, they could read each other well.

_It’s nothing to worry about, I can be dramatic another time. For now, I just need to focus. You’ll be okay, I promise._

A smile broke across Eve’s face at the words. For the first time in a few months, she believed it. Just as she was about to type a response, the voice picked up again.

_Listen, I should really be going. Like I said, I shouldn’t have even called in the first place._

Eve felt a completely new sensation hit her. The best way she could describe it was a mixture of disappointment, fear and yearning hitting her square in the chest and spreading through her body at the notion of Villanelle having to leave. It wasn’t fair, she had only just got her back.

Please don’t go. E

The text was simple, but she could tell by the tired sigh that it had made an impact on Villanelle.

_I’m sorry. I don’t want to go, but it’s for our safety. You need to start looking into getting out of your apartment and renting somewhere else short term. If you can’t find anywhere, book into a hotel. We’ll see each other again soon._

She knew Villanelle was right, as much as she didn’t want to admit it to herself.

You promise? E

_Absolutely, I can’t wait to see you again._

Eve smiled as another moment of silence fell over the pair. Villanelle broke it first.

_Eve, I-_

A hesitation followed by a deep sigh. Words jammed in her throat.

_You’ll be okay. I’ll talk to you soon._

/i'll talk to you soon. Stay safe. Raise some hell. E

Villanelle laughed at the text.

_Oh, I will. Don’t you worry about that._

A second later, the microphone clicked off.

Reality hit when the silence returned to the room to take up more of a permanent residency this time. There was no Villanelle to interrupt its occupancy, no phone buzz or chime to stop it seeping back through into every inch and crevice of the space.

It was just Eve. Eve, who didn’t know when she could speak to the woman tasked with saving her life again.

The phone came to rest on the bedside table as Eve sank back fully into the pillows. Instead of tears of worry, this time she bloomed a smile.

They were going to be okay.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and funko pops can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both
> 
> Also this chapter is dedicated to Tabby who is THREE YEARS CANCER FREE as of today! I'm so proud of you my dude and so lucky to call you my friend, I love you so much

Things began to settle down for Eve, but not in the way she expected.

It had been a month since they had first made true contact and they had found themselves falling into a routine.

Every evening, Villanelle would manage to steal a phone, feed her new number through to Eve, and then they’d just talk.

It became a comfort for Eve. She knew what was coming, she knew that she had this call to look forward to at the end of her workday. It was the stability she’d been craving, even if it wasn’t in the most traditional sense.

They couldn’t speak for more than a couple of hours, and Villanelle still wouldn’t allow Eve to call. But it was something. Something after the months of pining and ‘what ifs’.

What they spoke of tended to vary. Anything between how their day was going to Villanelle recounting stories of past kills.

Occasionally, however, they found themselves here. In a state of thinking about what could be.

_So…_

The voice in the earpiece began, taking a second to pause in thought.

_When we go to Alaska, am I allowed to get a husky and call it Laika?_

A bemused smile broke across Eve’s face, both at the question and the thought of getting away together.

They’d allowed themselves to fall into this conversation a few times. The thoughts about when they would get to see each other, what they would do together, what it would be like to just be around each other.

Some days, it felt like an infatuation. It would sometimes be the only thing Eve could focus on for hours on end. Entire days would be taken up lost in thought about what could be.

Villanelle’s word choice shocked Eve, though. When did it go from an ‘if’ to a ‘when’?

I don’t know, I’ve always wanted a cat. E

Eve was laid out on her bed, finishing up some leftover take out for dinner while her TV blared on obnoxiously in the background, completely void of any attention from Eve.

_See, I knew you’d say that!_

Villanelle laughed. Eve had never thought about what Villanelle would sound like when she truly laughed, but it was never something she’d had to think about.

Of all the things Eve had considered about the woman; her eyes, her mouth, what shampoo she uses, this had never been one of them. She’d never thought she’d get to hear it, but here she was. And it was because of Eve.

_We could get both. Train them up to be friends. You know, the most unlikely of people can end up in each other’s lives in ways they never expected. It can be exactly the same for Laika and whatever you want to call your cat._

Eve smiled at the remark, eye’s rolling.

Was that a dig at us? E

_I mean, if the shoe fits. I’m sure you never expected to be in this position with the woman you were tasked with finding. The world works in mysterious ways._

Eve moved to take her plate and place it in the sink while Villanelle spoke, pausing in the kitchen to reply.

I mean, you’re not wrong. E

And anyway, I’m still trying to find you. E

She removed a bottle from the fridge and made her way back to the bed.

_I can’t tell if you’re joking or not. If you’re not, stop looking. I’ll come to you._

The bottle rested on the bedside table as Eve slipped under the duvet, grabbing the remote and turning off the TV before unlocking her phone again.

I’m not actively trying to hunt you out, don’t worry. Probably wouldn’t be the wisest choice anyway. E

The remote found its way back to the bedside table.

_Yeah, true. I’m sure you’ve got more to worry about back in London anyway. Have you managed to sort getting out of your flat yet? You’re really putting yourself at risk staying there._

Eve sighed, remembering the paperwork she had carelessly forced into her bag earlier in the day.

I should have it sorted soon. I’m just arranging a storage unit to put my stuff into and then I’ll take your advice and start staying in hotels. It won’t be for long, right? Cause I know I’m gonna miss having a place to call my own. E

A sigh replied on the microphone.

_I honestly don’t know, Eve. Hopefully not, but I can’t promise much. I’ll help you with money if you need it, but for the mean time you just need to be safe._

Eve moved to settle down in the bed.

Yeah, I understand. I should be out in a week or two. E

Villanelle replied, but Eve didn’t register the words. As she settled down in the bed, the familiar sensation hit her.

It was like something wasn’t quite right. Like there was a loss or a part of her missing that Eve didn’t even realise she was without until something came along to show her what it felt like to be whole.

The phone found its way back into Eve’s hands.

Do you think you can miss somebody without truly knowing their presence? E

Eve knew the question had thrown Villanelle by the lengthy silence over the microphone. Eventually, Villanelle managed to stutter out a response.

_I… I’m not sure. I mean, it’s not something I’ve really considered before. Why do you ask?_

Tired fingers dragged over the keyboard, heavy eyes fighting to stay alert.

When I go to bed at night, there’s something missing. It’s not just me getting used to sleeping by myself, it’s something very specific. Or someone. E

Eve hesitated for a moment. Did she want to take it this far?

In a moment of recklessness, she allowed her thumb to graze the send button.

And despite having never spent a night together, there's something telling me that the something or someone missing is you. E

There was another lengthy pause on Villanelle’s end, nothing but the sound of slightly unsteady breathing penetrating through to Eve.

Does that sound crazy? E

_No, not at all. It’s not crazy._

The reply settled Eve to a degree, though she was concerned that she’d freaked Villanelle out a little bit.

It’s really late anyway, I should get some sleep. I can barely keep my eyes open. E

Eve curled up under the duvet, attempting to ignore this heavy emptiness in her chest and focus instead of Villanelle’s breathing.

_You should, I have stuff I need to work on anyway. Sleep well, Eve._

Stay safe. Raise some hell. E

_Of course._

With that, the microphone clicked off.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and eternal love points can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both
> 
> I am SO SORRY I've been gone for so long. I've had general life dramas and I've also gone back to uni and working like every shift I can get, so my free time has been pretty non-existent. I hope this makes up for it at least a little, enjoy!

_Okay, so… Fuck, marry, kill._

The tired eyes lulled into a roll at the sentiment.

Really? This again? Don’t you ever have anything better on your mind other than smut? E

The response elicited a giggle on the other end of the line.

_Oh, Evie, you’re cute. Of course I don’t have anything better on my mind. I’m stuck here alone with nothing to do until I can get all my targets in position. What would you have me doing? Reading the entire works of Lord Byron?_

A soft giggle escaped from Eve’s lips as the tips of her fingers worked back over the keypad.

I like that your polar opposite to smut is romance poetry. Not even something boring or mundane, but something unapologetically affectionate and romantic. I think that says a lot about you, Villanelle. -E

A soft ‘hmph’ was heard by Eve, along with some rustling as Villanelle readjusted herself.

_I can be romantic I’ll have you know. Just not in the ways you’d expect, like writing boring poetry. Just you wait, I’m gonna romance the hell out of you one day._

Eve shook her head and smiled at the remark. Try as she might, she couldn’t ignore the way the thought made her heart swell.

I’m sure you will. Come on, I’ll keep you amused. Hit me with your three people. E

Eve could feel the beam through the earpiece as Villanelle read the text message.

_Okay, uhh… Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence and Channing Tatum?_

Eve paused for a moment to consider. She was just going to give an answer that would appease and amuse Villanelle, but it was surprisingly easy to fall into genuine interest where Villanelle was concerned.

Okay. Kill Channing Tatum, he’s got a weird face. His head is almost like a square. I’d marry Hugh Jackman because he seems like a gentleman and then I guess I’d fuck Jennifer Lawrence. E

The response caused Villanelle to laugh. Eve smiled in response. It was a sound that brought her a lot of comfort.

_‘I guess’ oh please, Evie. At least make it sound like you’d be somewhat into it for Jennifer’s sake._

Eve laid back on the bed with a small grin across her face, staring up at the ceiling of the hotel. She’d taken Villanelle’s advice and, as a result, had been living out of hotel rooms for the past few weeks. Villanelle’s calls in an evening became even more crucial to Eve, providing her with the only sense of stability and routine she could find besides going to work.

I’m sure it would be lovely. Okay, I got one for you. E

Rachel Weisz, Emma Watson, Sandra Bullock. E

Eve wasn’t even sure Villanelle had a chance to read all the names given how quick she was to respond.

_Oh my god, I would die for Rachel Weisz._

Eve couldn’t help but laugh at the response as Villanelle continued.

_Honestly, I don’t even care about the others. I don’t need to do anything with them, I’m marrying Rachel Weisz and that’s all that matters._

It took Eve a moment before she could respond, having laughed so hard that tears were now streaking down her cheeks. She missed being able to just laugh unapologetically.

I don’t think you realise how funny you are sometimes. E

_I’m not trying to be funny; I’m being deadly serious here. This is not a joke, Eve. This is my life._

Eve attempted to calm her breathing before she moved her hands to respond, feeling an ache begin to form in her cheeks from all the laughing and smiling.

Well, if you’re not funny, you’re certainly dramatic. E

Eve slipped under the duvet as she listened to the words drift through on the earpiece.

_Call me dramatic all you like, you’d have the exact same reaction. She’s perfect. Did you ever watch Disobedience? She looked so damn good. Especially with her hair all big and dark and curly. I swear I’ve never had a harder time concentrating during a movie._

Eve was now curled up under the duvet, eyes closed while she listened with her phone clasped in her hands. Prying her eyes open, she looked back to the screen as she attempted to battle with the day’s exhaustion.

What is it with you and curly hair? Or just hair in general? E

Her eyes slipped back closed as she felt Villanelle ponder the question, finding herself continually stuck somewhere between asleep and awake.

_Hmm… I mean, I just think it’s incredibly beautiful on a woman. But obviously it runs a little deeper than that. It’s not simply ‘I think it’s beautiful’, it extends further._

Eve felt her curiosity pique at the reasonably vague answer, her inquisitive mind getting the better of her like always.

What do you mean? Extends how? E

_I mean, it’s kind of multifaceted. There are more layers to it, more about it._

There was a pause.

_…Have you ever though about running your fingers through someone’s hair during sex? Getting to feel the strands between your fingers, or pulling at it and seeing their reaction? The way their mouth drops, and the way their breath hitches sharply before a whine or a moan tumbles out?_

Eve’s attention was completely focused on Villanelle by this point. Any weariness that had previously been tugging her away from reality was now forgotten, replaced by a burning fullness in her chest taking up her attention.

_That’s one of the sides which adds up to it being an attractive feature to me._

As Villanelle finished speaking, Eve typed up a response. She froze as she read the words over a couple of times, feeling some small anxieties bubble away in the pit of her stomach. Taking a few good minutes to work up the courage, she hit send.

Do you think about doing that to me? E

There was another brief pause before Eve heard a small scoff.

_Did you really have to ask that, Evie?_

Villanelle’s voice had dropped by this point, possessing a rasp in her voice that hit the words in such a sweet way it made Eve’s head spin.

I mean, I didn’t want to assume. E

_Hm. Well, maybe you should assume more often._

Eve didn’t even remember typing this time. It was almost like the words just appeared before her on the screen. She had no recollection of thinking them up or telling herself to write them out, but there they were. In another moment of bravery, she hit send.

What else do you think about doing to me? E

There was another moment of silence. The dragging silence was interrupted by a deep sigh before the words finally drifted through into Eve’s ear.

_Well, that’s a pretty loaded question. I think about a lot of things with you._

Another pause. By this point, Eve’s heart was beating so fast all she could hear were the soft thuds rattling her body.

_One of the most common is how pretty you’d look with my hand around your neck._

Her breath hitched at the thought, arousal hitting deep in the pit of her stomach.

_I also think about getting to taste you, getting to lick and tease at your clit for so long you can’t think straight when I finally let you come._

A shaky sigh escaped Eve’s mouth as she listened intently, dragging a hand down below the duvet and letting it dip under the waistband of her underwear.

_I think about what you’d sound like. God, I don’t think a day goes by where I don’t think of that._

A whine escaped at her words. At the sound, all Eve could think was how desperately she wanted Villanelle to be able to hear that.

_I wonder if you’re loud or quiet. If you moan, whimper, if you’d say my name. I think about how my name would sound coming from you right as you’re on the edge._

Eve’s eyes slipped shut as she just tried to listen to the voice in her ear and block out her other surroundings. If she tried hard enough, she could be here. She could believe it.

_I think about what you’d like me to say to you, what you’d like me to do to you. Whether you’d prefer my mouth or my hands, whether you like toys, what positions you like. All the details, I just want to know everything._

There was another pause. Eve’s eyes flicked open and across to the phone still in her free hand.

What else? E

_God, someone’s eager._

A soft chuckle, followed by a breathy sigh, drifted through the earpiece.

_Are you touching yourself, Evie?_

She bit at her lip at the name. It hit differently when she was like this.

Yes. Are you? E

_Fuck._

The word was sharp, it punctured the air with such force Eve could practically feel the sudden breath from Villanelle.

_Yeah, I am._

The thought of Villanelle had been fading in and out of Eve’s mind. But now that she knew, there was a sudden clarity to the image. Villanelle, laid out completely bare on the bed, with the microphone close by as a hand worked between her thighs. The thought alone could have pushed Eve over the edge.

What’re you thinking of? E

A couple of small huffs preceded Villanelle’s words, which were now noticeably softer and breathier than before.

_That should be a little obvious, I’m thinking of you. I’m thinking about what you must look like right now, how pretty you must look touching yourself._

Eve let out another small whine at the words, surprised by how close she was already.

_And how I’d give anything to be the one making you feel good. I wanna touch you._

She gasped at the image that flashed through her mind, hand speeding up as she felt herself teetering right at the edge of her climax.

_God I… Fuck I wanna touch you so bad. I wanna make you feel good, I wanna be the one to make you moan and cry out as you come._

The words were so much more desperate and frantic than they had been previously. She was close, Eve could tell.

I want to hear you say my name. E

Eve heard Villanelle moan, loud and unashamed. She sounded just like Eve had always imagined she would.

_Fuck, Evie…_

The words were strangled, followed by another moan which sent Eve right over the edge. Her back arched against the bed and her eyes screwed shut, moaning with Villanelle as she came, even though the other woman couldn’t hear her. But how Eve wished she could.

As her body untensed, Eve found herself trying to catch her breath while listening to Villanelle’s ragged breathing through the earpiece. After another minute, her hand came back up from under the waistband and laid beside her body while her eyes focused on the screen in front of her. She wanted to say something, but nothing came to mind.

_Well, that was… Something._

Villanelle giggled at the remark, as did Eve. She had no idea what else to make of the situation.

It was. It was… Good. E

Really good. Better than I think it’s ever felt before. E

_Mm, well I can’t disagree. Just a shame it was so one sided, it reminded me of Rome a little bit._

Eve hummed as she curled back up under the duvet, fingers swiping over the keypad.

It is a shame. Still, I’m sure you’ll get to hear me in the future. E

Eve could tell the answer took Villanelle aback by the delayed response. Hell, it took Eve aback at first.

_I hope so. I definitely wouldn’t say no to that._

There was another pause, followed by a small yet disappointed sigh.

_I should really go, Evie. I’ve already been on the line too long._

The disappointment hit Eve square in the chest. If there was any time she didn’t want to be alone, it was now.

_It’s okay. Give me like an hour to wipe this phone and get rid of it, then I’ll come back and talk at you for a bit. Okay?_

Okay. I can do that. E

Stay safe, raise some hell. E

Eve heard a small laugh as the microphone rustled.

_Oh, of course. I’ll talk to you soon, take care of yourself._

Moments later, the microphone clicked off.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and King Princess merch can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both
> 
> (If you've not listened to Cheap Queen, please do yourself a favour and listen to it)

Listening to Villanelle work was definitely interesting for Eve.

Something she’d picked up on was Villanelle’s habits when she was frustrated.

Or rather, the Russian curses. The constant string of Russian curses.

Eve had been busy trying to file some reports she needed for work tomorrow while Villanelle was on the other end of the line, the curses only becoming more and more frequent as time passed.

In a way, it was endearing. Seeing Villanelle's anger come out in a way other than rage and violence was reassuring for Eve. Not to mention she found Villanelle's nonsensical mumblings rather cute.

_I’ve had enough of this._

She sighed, Eve’s head perking up as concern washed over her face.

_Give me a few minutes, Evie. I’ll be back soon._

And with that, the microphone clicked off. About twenty minutes later, the familiar voice returned.

_Okay, I’ve got a phone. Text me?_

Eve didn’t know why she asked. It was never a question at this point, Eve couldn’t type in the number fast enough.

Hey. Are you okay? You sounded really frustrated. E

Eve’s question was met with a sigh through the earpiece, causing her concern to spike again.

_Yeah, don’t worry about me. I’m okay, I’m just tired of all this waiting._

Eve didn’t respond. She didn’t know how to, so Villanelle continued.

_It’s strange because you wait so long for that one moment and then once you get there, that’s it. Game over, nothing else really matters. Everything you went through to get to that one moment, everything you put yourself through for so long just… Doesn’t matter._

Eve didn’t respond again, just took in the sentiment. She was right, they had been waiting far too long.

_I’m just tired of waiting and being patient, I want it now. But I know it would be dangerous to get it now._

Can’t I just see you quickly? In secret? We’ll make sure they can’t follow or track us. E

Villanelle sighed again as her eyes scanned the words.

_We can’t, Evie. It’s too risky. We just need to wait it out._

Eve could tell she wanted to say yes. Or, maybe it was Eve’s hopeful optimism making her believe Villanelle was as desperate to see her as Eve was.

What do we have to do to speed it up? Like, what are you waiting for? E

_I’m waiting for the right moment. I can’t risk going after each individual man, they’ll know I’m still here and once they pick up that one or two of their men have been targeted, they’ll set the rest of the team on me to take them out. I need to take them all out at once, or as closely together as possible, so they don’t have the window of opportunity to set after me. Then we make our getaway and lay low for a while._

Eve nodded, to who she wasn’t sure.

And they’re not close enough for you to get them? E

_Not yet, no. I thought they’d at least be following similar leads so they’d be in a similar place. But, they’re too spread out. So clearly not._

Eve pondered for a moment as she attempted to process Villanelle’s problem. They just needed a solution, something to work towards to make the waiting feel a little less tedious.

Where do they get their leads? E

_I don’t know, Evie. They never told me stuff like this. But they have eyes everywhere, so they pick up quite a lot. Clearly, you’ve done a good job at hiding yourself._

She could feel the cogs turning as her brain continued to process the situation. She sensed a solution brewing, but knew Villanelle might not like it.

What if we give them a lead? E

There was silence on the other end of the line, so Eve continued.

What if we leak my address? If it’s certain, surely they’ll send everyone to me, and you can get to them first. E

There was more silence, so much that Eve became concerned the mic was off.

Her suspicions became irrelevant by a simple word on the line.

_No._

There was more silence. Villanelle sounded upset, angry almost.

_No, absolutely not. You’re not putting yourself at risk like that._

That’s not your decision to make. Do you have a better idea at this point? E

A bitter laugh pushed through Villanelle’s gritted teeth at the message.

_What, do you think I’m not fucking trying? That’s fucking ridiculous, Eve. You’re not putting yourself in danger to finish this. The entire point of this is to keep you out of danger._

I don’t see how else we can solve this. Do we just wait and see if death catches me first? E

_There is no 'we' in this, okay? You didn’t even know about this until recently, this is all on me and I’m not putting that sort of pressure on myself or on you._

By this point, it was clear that Villanelle was very upset by the idea. Her words were short and sharp against her teeth, her voice low and monotonous except for the odd spark of anger in her tone.

I'm trying to help, let me help you. E

_This isn't helping, Eve! This is reckless!_

Villanelle's voice had raised from an irritated murmur to a full on shout. There was no response, so Villanelle took a moment to calm herself.

_I’m not going to entertain this idea anymore. I need to go; I’ll talk to you soon._

The microphone clicked off. Eve was left alone.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and copies of Snapping by Chung Ha can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both
> 
> MERRY CHRISTMAS, I'M SORRY I'VE BEEN GONE FOR SO LONG! HAVE FESTIVE SMUT TO MAKE UP FOR IT, SPONSORED BY THE FACT MY NSFW TWITTER CANNOT KEEP UP WITH ALL OF MY THOUGHTS
> 
> (Also this chapter is dedicated to Raquel because apparently you're supposed to do that?)

It had been nearly three weeks, the longest they’d gone without speaking since they’d established regular contact.

To Eve, she could have easily mistaken it for months. It hurt knowing Villanelle was probably continuing as normal, or as normal as this life could be, and she was stuck. Stuck in a constant state of anxiety, stuck hoping that Villanelle would so much as talk to her that day, stuck waiting for that message to come through so they could just talk things out.

But it never came through. For three weeks.

Eve was thrown back to the start, to feeling hopeless because all she wanted to do was talk to Villanelle, to talk things out and check if she was okay, but Villanelle needed to be the one to make contact.

So, she waited. And waited some more.

Another day was drawing to a close with no sign of Villanelle. Eve had gotten into a habit of mentally tracking Villanelle’s day to see when she might expect to hear from her. When she was waking, when she was working, when she was eating. A feeble attempt to guess when Villanelle would have time to talk, especially considering it had been three weeks, Villanelle’s routine had more than likely changed by now.

As much as Eve tried to distract herself, the thoughts of the younger woman persisted.

What if she was close by, maybe even on her way to see Eve?

What if she was hurt and had no way of letting Eve know?

…What if she was with another woman?

The final thought hit Eve square in the chest and drew the breath right out of her body. A strange mix of despondent sadness, jealousy, and who knows what else, made itself apparent on Eve’s person. Her chest felt hollow while her lungs felt full of something heavier than air. Her eyes watered as she attempted to catch some of the breath that had been sharply taken from her.

Eve stumbled through the door to her new hotel room and collapsed down onto the bed, taking a moment to breathe as she grounded herself in her surroundings.

She took in the faint noises of traffic and people outside, felt the cotton duvet crumple beneath her hands, felt her stomach and rise and fall with every breath.

She was okay. She was going to be okay.

Eve sat up on the bed and grabbed her laptop, engaging in some work she had to catch up on in order to give her mind something else to think about other than the woman. She had already taken up far more space in her head than was probably healthy.

The hours blurred together and before Eve could even realise, it was 1am.

Eve sighed; her eyes hit with a sudden heaviness as she realised the time. Her laptop closed and returned to its usual place beside Eve’s bed. She changed into some comfortable shorts and a large t-shirt before slipping under the duvet. Just as her head was about to hit the pillow, a sound hit her ear.

_Eve?_

Eve was up straight within seconds, her heart in her throat.

_I have a number, text me._

She sounded okay, but irritated. Her words were punctured with sharp breaths and her tone was flat. Eve had no time to worry about that. She was too busy punching the numbers into her phone.

Hey. E

There was no hesitation behind the text, even if it were just a short one.

_Oh, good. You’re there._

I am. I’ve been waiting to hear from you. E

There was nothing in response. Eve felt the need to fill the silence, so she began to type.

I’m really sorry about what happened. Can we talk a-

_What’re you wearing?_

The question shocked Eve. She paused momentarily before pressing the backspace key and deleting the message.

Um. Just some shorts and a t-shirt, I was just about to go to bed. E

_Let me see._

Villanelle’s voice was still flat, her words paired with a much more demanding energy than Eve was used to. She could say no, if she wanted to. She always had that option with Villanelle, she was never scared to say no. She just didn’t want to.

Eve swiped through to her phone’s camera, pulling the duvet down to reveal the outfit before taking a picture. She left the lower part of her face in so Villanelle could see her mouth and her hair while cutting her eyes out. She sent the picture alone, without a message. She wasn’t entirely sure of what to say even if she wanted to say something.

There was a breath come from the other end of the line, putting Eve on edge.

_Fuck._

The word was softer than those Villanelle had previously uttered. Eve put her confusion aside and picked her phone back up.

I assume you don’t wanna talk about what happened? E

_I don’t, no. I don’t even want to think about it._

The words returned to the same monotonous, hard tone they had previously been carrying. Eve sat up on the bed, eyes leering over her phone.

So, what do you want? E

There was a pause and Eve was completely on edge, hooked on every word and sound that was coming from the earpiece.

_I want your clothes off._

Eve’s breath caught in her throat at the words, feeling the arousal begin to creep up her body. Eve wasted no time in slipping off the shorts and tugging off her t-shirt. Her bare body fell back against the sheets and her phone came up to take a photo without needing to be asked. Eve was always eager to please, especially in the bedroom. But after the recent events, she was even more keen to know she was doing okay and doing right by someone. The photo was sent not a minute later.

All Eve heard back was a soft _hm_ from Villanelle. She knew the woman was onto the fact that Eve wanted the reassurance and to know she was doing right, hence the minimal responses. She wasn’t going to make this easy for Eve. She couldn’t just give Eve everything she wanted that quickly.

What else do you want? E

_I want to see your hand between your legs. I wanna see it teasing at you and making you feel good._

Eve moaned at the words as they came through on the earpiece. An idle hand traced down Eve’s stomach to dip between her thighs. Eve’s head fell back as her fingertips worked over her clit, trying to keep her thoughts straight as her other hand dragged the phone up into the air so she could take a short video.

_What’re you thinking of?_

The words came through just as Eve finished the recording, sending the video with the text:

What do you want me to think of? E

As hard as Villanelle tried to look stoic and uninterested, the façade was failing her. A breathy moan, followed by a couple of curse words, caused Eve to speed her hand up as the desperation for release began to become more apparent.

_I want you to think of me. I want you to think of me with a hand on your neck and the other between your legs. I want you to think of yourself with your hands tied behind your back, completely helpless, staring me right in the eyes and begging me to fuck you._

The words hit Eve so differently than anything in the bedroom ever had done before. She felt such an intense need, a desperation, to have that happen. It shocked her. She’d never needed someone as much as she needed Villanelle.

What else? E

She just about managed to type it out, hitting send just as she felt herself teeter right on the edge of her orgasm.

_Hm, I want you to think about how much I could ruin you. How I could tease you for hours and never let you get what you need. Or about how I could pin you down and have you at my mercy, make you follow every word I say, or you won’t get what you need._

The moan that left Eve’s mouth at the words surprised even her, being louder and deeper than she expected. Hopefully the walls weren’t too thin.

I’m so close. E

Another moan through the earpiece, Eve knew she’d keep teasing if Villanelle had it in her. But, by the sound of her strained voice, Villanelle wasn’t due to last much longer either.

_You’re only allowed to cum if I get to see it. I need to see how I make you feel good baby. I need to see what I do to you._

Eve’s phone came up with a shaky hand and began to record, trying to get in as much on the screen as she could while her hand sped up. A couple of low, guttural moans escaped as Eve’s hips began to grind down onto the fingers working faster against her clit.

“Fuck, baby.” She whined, the desperation dripping from every word. It only took another moment before her body tensed and a strangled moan came from her mouth. Her body trembled as the pleasure washed over her, stilling again only when her muscles untensed and her hand began to slow down.

Eve lazily worked at her orgasm as she tried to focus on the blaring screen before her, sending the video through to Villanelle a moment later when she could muster up the energy to work out what she was doing.

She listened closely as her fingers stilled completely, hearing the breathy moans and little whines come through on the earpiece. Eve bit her lower lip as she heard more of Villanelle’s moans followed by a few strangled curses and then panting. Eve just listened more as she waited for Villanelle’s orgasm to wear off to see if she would speak or just hang up. After a few more moments, she heard some more words.

_So… Miss me?_

Eve rolled her eyes at the remark, unable to hide the smile Villanelle had managed to elicit.

Of course I did, you know I always do. E

There was a pause, prompting Eve to fill the silence again.

Do you wanna talk about what happened? E

Another pause, but this time, Eve restrained herself from saying anything further.

_Tomorrow, I promise. I just needed to blow off some steam… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get so angry with you._

Villanelle never really seemed like one for apologies, so the sentiment surprised Eve a little bit.

It’s okay. I touched a nerve, clearly. Are you okay though? E

_I am, yeah. Are you?_

Eve paused, opting to forgo telling Villanelle about the amount of anxiety the situation had put her under.

Yeah, I’m okay. I was just worried about you. E

A soft chuckle at the other end of the line. Eve had missed those.

_You’re sweet, I promise I’m okay. Though I’m gonna have to go, I need to wipe this phone clean and get back to working._

Eve sighed at that, though less apprehensive as she had been since she knew it was only a matter of hours before they would speak again.

Okay, I’ll talk to you soon. Stay safe and take care of yourself, okay? E

_Of course, always. You too, I’ll talk to you soon Evie._

With those final words, the microphone clicked off.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and clown selfies can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both
> 
> Shout out to @vllanelle_ for calling me out and making me write another chapter 🧡

Days passed and things began to feel some degree of normal again. They fell back into their rhythm and routine as easily as if they’d never strayed from their norm. They waited for their days to pass so they could have those previous couple of hours at the end of the day to feel whole again. Eve didn’t care much for the fact that her day now mostly became filler. Her day started when she heard that voice and sent that first text.

 

_ I met someone interesting today. You’d probably like him. _

 

Her interest piqued and eyes shot down to the device between her hands.

 

Yeah? What was he like? E

 

_ He had a god awful moustache. Much akin to the one your husband... Or, ex husband? _

 

I haven’t seen or heard from Niko in months, I don’t know what’s going on with him or with us. E

 

There was a pause.

 

_ Hm. Interesting. _

 

Eve frowned at the response. It seemed a little out of place, but she brushed it off.

 

You’re weird sometimes. E

 

_ And you’re completely normal and sane? _

 

Never said I wasn’t. Never said I liked normal and sane. E

 

_ Your past life playing bridge, marrying a maths teacher, and being Bill’s lap dog suggests otherwise. _

 

Eve’s blood ran cold at the mention of the name, at the reminder that he wasn’t here and here she was feeling like... This over his killer.

 

Don’t talk about him. Please. E

 

_ Oh. I’m sorry. _

 

The words preceded an awkward pause, with Eve’s fingers breaking the silence with writing.

 

Do you ever think about your kills a while after they’ve happened? Do you ever think about that one? E

 

Villanelle pauses, considering a moment.

 

_ Not usually. Only if they’re special or there was something specific about them that I liked or disliked. _

 

Another pause, followed by a deep sigh.

 

_ With Bill, I do think about it. I think about you. _

 

Me? E

 

_ Of course. He was your friend and I know it hurt you greatly. I’m not... Things aren’t the same anymore Eve. I’m not like that. _

 

Like what? An assassin? Cause I’m pretty sure you are indeed still that. E

 

Villanelle giggled a little. It was a heavy conversation, but neither of them seemed to be acting in such a way. It made things a little easier.

 

_ No, no. I’m still employed, don’t worry. But that was the first time I felt guilt because I knew my kill affected someone else. I don’t think about a mark’s family or friends or anything, you can’t think about that in this line of work. So it was a bit weird to think about. _

 

Yeah. I get that. E

 

_ I can’t hurt you like that. Hence why moustache is still here. _

 

Well... Thank you for that. I know you’re not his biggest fan but he is a good man. E

 

_ I’ll take your word for it. _

 

Silence for another moment. Just as Villanelle was about to tell Eve she should go, a text shot through.

 

I really want to see you. E

 

Villanelle read the words. Then read them again. Her heart felt like it was in a vice, where all these butterflies everyone in the movies talked about were being squeezed into her stomach and throat. She couldn’t speak for a moment, overcome by pure affection and completely flustered. So much for a ruthless assassin.

 

_ Yeah, I really want to see you too Evie. It’s been so long and we’ve been through a lot recently. You know I go through all this stuff to keep you safe with the thought in my head of ‘when I see her stood in front of me, it’ll all be worth it. Everything I’ve gone through to keep her safe and have her here will be completely worth it’. _

 

I hope I’m worth it. E

 

_ Don’t be silly. Of course you’re worth it. _

 

How long will it be before we can see each other? Are you close to finishing? E

 

The reluctant silence gave Eve the answers she needed before Villanelle even had a chance to speak.

 

_ Not yet. I’m exhausting my options and ideas very quickly. _

 

There was another extended silence. They were both thinking of what to say, something to rectify the heartbreaking reality they were facing. Only one thing kept coming to Eve’s mind.

 

I mean, we still have the plan I suggested. E

 

There was a deep sigh, followed by an exhausted ‘Eve...’

 

No, hear me out. E

 

Villanelle didn’t say anything, allowing Eve to continue.

 

I don’t want to fight with you, not again. But we’re running out of options here Villanelle. E

 

_ It’s very risky, Eve. Too risky. I’m not going to put you in that position, there’s a very real threat to your life that we’d be playing with by revealing your location. _

 

You can protect me. E

 

_ But what if I can’t? _

 

Villanelle’s voice broke on the last word. The microphone picked up a shaky breath.

 

_ I know you trust me and my abilities, but things go wrong sometimes. I’m normally cocky enough to think I can do anything, but I don’t normally have this much at stake. _

 

Considering the fact that one wrong move during a kill could cause Villanelle’s entire life and career to unravel, it was a strange type of compliment that Villanelle placed more value on Eve than any of that.

 

I’m at risk anyway. And I always will be as long as they’re after me. Either we end this now, for good but with the risk, or we stay stuck. E

 

_ And what is this plan? Like, in your head, what happens when we leak your address? _

 

Eve had thought out the scenario so many times in her head that she probably could have typed a response with her eyes closed.

 

Get me into a flat block with no neighbours, so no witnesses and no one else in danger. I know you’ve got contacts, I know you can set something up. I’ve paid for everything in cash so far, I even managed to convince work to pay me in cash by some miracle, so I haven’t left a footprint like you said. It could be something as simple as my card being used, or my name being put on a lease or something. We’ll pick a date for it to happen. They all head for me at once, you take them out one by one as they show up at my door. E

 

There was a very long silence over the earpiece. All Eve could hear was her heartbeat thudding in her ears. Finally, the silence was lifted.

 

_ And what if there’s too many? _

 

Oh please, I’ve seen you take down what could be classed as a small army by yourself. E

 

_ What if one of them escapes me and gets to you? _

 

They won’t. E

 

_ They might. Why do you have to be there? Why can’t we trick them and pretend like you’re wherever we said you are? _

 

Let’s face it, they’re not dumb. They’ll probably check to see if the tip off is credible beforehand. We need to make it as real as possible, or they might not all show up. E

 

_ And you’re really going to put yourself at risk like this? Knowing that it takes one wrong move or one too many people for me to handle and that’s it, game over. You’re really going to sit alone in a flat knowing there’s going to be people coming to hurt and take you away and all you have for protection is me waiting downstairs for them? _

 

Eve didn’t respond straight away. The thought scared her, but she saw no other way out.

 

Do we have any other options though? E

 

_...Not really. Not anymore. _

 

Then it has to happen. E

 

Villanelle was silent for a few minutes, Eve’s heart in her mouth. She couldn’t go ahead without the green light from Villanelle.

 

_ We’ll talk about picking a date tomorrow. Give me a few days to get back to London. _


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions, curiousities, and prompts can go to my curiouscat  
> Follows, tweets, and 2 for £12 Weatherspoons cocktail pitchers can go to my Twitter
> 
> vxllanelle1 for both
> 
> Eve being a chronic drunk texter is sponsored by me also being a chronic drunk texter

_ I can’t talk tonight. _

 

The unexpected words hit Eve’s ear and immediately caused her to perk up at her work desk. Since they’d made an effort to talk at night, the communication from Villanelle during the day was usually pretty minimal. It was definitely never anything important, they always waited for two way communication to get into the serious stuff.

 

_ I hope you can hear me. I’m sorry, something came up. I hope you’re alright though. _

 

Eve frowned as the microphone clicked off, frustrated by her inability to respond. It honestly sometimes felt like Villanelle used that to her advantage.

 

“Eve?”

 

The woman turned from her desk to see Jess stood behind her, a nervous smile across her face.

 

“Oh, hey!” She beamed, miles away from the person Jess had encountered a couple of months ago. “What’re you doing here?” She asked, rising from her desk.

 

“Oh, I’m here to see one of the head of departments. I’m looking into a job transfer, need to spend more time at home with the baby.”

 

Eve nodded, though part of her mind was still elsewhere with Villanelle.

 

“You look... Good. Way better than you did last time we spoke. How’re you feeling?”

 

Eve shrugged. “I feel a lot better but, y’know, I’m just taking every day as it comes.”

 

Jess nodded understandingly. “Yeah, I get it. Life’s like that sometimes.”

 

Eve just nodded before Jess continued. “I’m glad I caught you actually, we’re having a bit of an outing tonight for Hugo’s birthday. Do you wanna join? I know he’d want you there, you’ve just been a bit difficult to get a hold of.”

 

Eve recalled a few calls from her friends she had ignored at the bitterness of Jess’ tone, a wave of guilt running over her. “Yeah, sorry. I’ve been busy and stuff.”

 

Jess knew it was a lie. Eve knew Jess knew it was a lie, but she refused to vocalise anything to do with the fact she hadn’t been okay.

 

“Well, why don’t you come for drinks tonight? Show everyone that you’re actually okay. We’ve been worried about you Eve.”

 

Eve caught herself thinking about what if Villanelle became available last minute, what if she changed her mind? And in the same instance, she caught herself recognising that probably wasn’t a healthy way to think. “Sure, why not? I miss you all.”

 

“We miss you too. We’ve been trying to get Kenny to pull some strings with Carolyn to get you back on our team.”

 

Eve smiled at the consideration. “That’s sweet, but I think hell would freeze over before that would happen.”

 

“Worth a shot,” Jess shrugged, a bemused smile spreading across her face. “We’ll meet you at the pub at 7, alright?”

 

Eve nodded, taking a seat back at her desk. “Sure. I’ll see you then.”

 

Eve that night was... Definitely a sight to behold. ‘A couple of drinks’ never stayed a couple of drinks when she was stressed. Most of the evening blurred into one, with the odd memory of singing karaoke with her old co-workers or embarrassing Hugo by singing happy birthday entirely out of tune stuck in her mind.

 

She’d missed moments like this. She’d catch herself in a moment where she was laughing or felt such intense joy burning in her chest and she’d say to herself internally ‘it’s going to be okay. The sadness isn’t going to last forever. You will laugh again.’

 

The night came to an end at around midnight when Jess, being the sensible and sober one of the collective, insisted that Eve had drank enough and needed a cab home. She managed to bundle Eve into an Uber, despite her many protests, and Eve begrudgingly recited the address of the hotel she had been staying at. The fact it was a hotel raised some questions with Jess, but she didn’t pry. Since she was unsure of Eve’s relationship with Niko, she just guessed he’d kept the flat. Bastard.

 

Stumbling through the door to her hotel room with a lighthearted giggle, Eve managed to make her way into the small bathroom space and fill up a glass with water. She knew she wasn’t going to sober up anytime soon, but she could at least take steps to minimise the effects of inevitable hangover.

 

_ Eve? _

 

Eve immediately blamed the alcohol when she heard a voice. The familiar voice she wasn’t expecting tonight. She placed the glass down on the bedside table.

 

_ I have an hour or so free, text me? You won’t hear from me for a few days after today because I’ll be flying back to the UK so... Last chance, I guess. _

 

It took a moment more than usual, but when Eve could comprehend the words in her ear and translate them into a thought for her inebriated brain, the pure excitement hit her right in the heart. Villanelle would be home, maybe Eve could see her before they put their plan in place.

 

Somehow, despite the state she was in, Eve managed to take down all the number recited via the earpiece and sent her first text while falling onto her bed.

 

heyyyyyyyyyyy. E

 

The laughter on the other end of the earpiece confirmed that Eve had gotten the number right.

 

_ Hey, you. Someone seems enthusiastic. _

 

What cbna I say I lijke talking to you. E

 

Another laugh on the end of the earpiece.

 

_ Oh, god. Are you drunk? _

 

Mi may have had on or two didn’t judge me. E

 

_ Don’t worry, Evie. No ones gonna judge you here. _

 

Ph god I lovvvvvceeeeee it wheb you call me thwt. E

 

There was another laugh. At least someone was amused.

 

_ I guess I’ll have to do it more often. Anyway, I just came on here to say I should be back in the UK on Saturday night, just before midnight. I was hoping we could talk through this plan but I have a layover at 2pm your time on Saturday for a couple of hours so we can talk about it then. _

 

Oh god can j see yuo before it happens? E

 

_ It’s probably best not to, Evie. We don’t want to compromise it. We don’t know who could be following us and when. _

 

pleeeeease? If either of us does well never have had sex. E

 

A louder laugh puffed through on the earpiece at the text and Villanelle answered tentatively.

 

_ It’s gonna be okay, Evie. You don’t need to worry about that, we’ll be okay. _

 

But iwanna see you soooooooo bad. Itse been so long. E

 

_ I think someone needs to sleep off the alcohol. Go on, it’s late over there. You should get to bed. _

 

Inlove you. E

 

There was silence. Eve could tell Villanelle was staring at the screen trying to fathom how she could respond to that.

 

_ I... You shouldn’t say that, Evie. Not like this, not if you want it to mean something. _

 

It always mneans something. I dont use those worss lightsly. E

 

_ Eve, c’mon. You should go to bed. _

 

There was a pause in the responses. After a moment, Eve typed away with her brow furrowed.

 

Why wont you sayc it back? E

 

_ Hey, I- _

 

Villanelle didn’t get a chance to respond before another message flashed across her screen.

 

Do you nt love me back? E

 

_ Eve, it’s... _

 

Villanelle took a breath.

 

_ I wanted the first time I said those words to you to be in person. Not like this. _

 

Eve was silent, hands still.

 

_ I’m sorry I can’t say it back yet, but it doesn’t mean I don’t feel it. I don’t love often. But when I do, I love hard. I give myself fully to people, I devote everything I do to the person I love. So, you might not think it’s a big deal because I show it a lot, but it’s a scary thing for me to say and I don’t do it lightly. I want it to be special. _

 

Eve felt a hint of guilt begin to seep through, going to text a reply before Villanelle responded.

 

_ I’m gonna let you get some sleep, okay? Just make sure you’re around at 2pm, please. _

 

Her tone was soft, she didn’t want Eve to think she was upset with her because she wasn’t. She just didn’t understand.

  
_I’ll talk to you soon, take care of yourself._

 

With those final words, the microphone clicked off.


End file.
